Excuse Me Works

Our language includes a pair of words which when paired together and spoken aloud create a very significant physical response from people. Those two words are “Excuse me.” The problem is how often are those two words uttered from the mouths of our increasingly rude society? And even when they are spoken, many times they are veiled with such sarcasm that they should have been replaced with a much different combo such as, “Get out of my way.”

Assuming that we all spend a great deal of our life amongst the public shouldn’t we be pretty accustomed to using and hearing this simple phrase? Can you remember the last time you heard the phrase from a stranger in a strange place without any sarcastic undertones? Can you remember the last time you were rudely forced to move from your position because someone thought you were in their way? Do you politely say “Excuse me” when you need someone to move or when you find yourself in someone else’s way?

I’m quick to say “Excuse me” whether I’m the one in the way or not. It’s the polite thing to do. However, I’ve learned that politeness is mainly a one way street these days. Our society’s greed and selfishness is mirrored in how people interact amongst crowds of strangers. No longer are people worried about their impact on the others around them. No longer are people worried about simple politeness when their sole focus is upon satisfying their immediate need.

How do you negotiate your way through a crowded store? Do you believe that it’s the responsibility of others to get out of your way? Or do you assume that it’s your responsibility to ask others to provide you the necessary space to go about your intended business? Hopefully you don’t expect the public mass of strangers to “bow down” to your every need as if you were the king of the world. Of course that is thinking rationally… who would actually say yes to that?

There must be people that say yes to that because the truth of the situation is that people truly expect you to get out of their way because you MUST be in their way. No “Excuse me” to politely ask you to move, but more often than not, a gently shove, touch, or outright push to make way for their “kingliness.” These situations present themselves more often during rush shopping periods and special events such as Black Friday, but I find people acting this way on an average Wednesday afternoon. I find people acting this way when there may only be three people in the store.

People have become utterly rude. People have forgotten the simple rules of public living. We have forgotten how to interact with others which we do not know, and even with those we do. When did our own selfish desires or supposed needs take ultimate importance in a simple public arena? Why do we feel that everyone else is in our way and they must make the gesture and excuse themselves?

Unless you are on your own property or in your own home, guess what, you don’t have any right to the space you are in other than you temporarily inhabit it and your human rights apply to your person. Knowing that, you are in essence sharing the space with others. If we are sharing it with other people, then we must treat everyone politely because someone else may temporarily be in our way and we may need to ask them to politely move.

These are two pretty simple concepts, ones that we’ve been taught since years before kindergarten… sharing and being polite. How can we manage to negotiate our way through life without being polite to others and sharing with them? Maybe that’s why so many people are upset, mad, and just generally angry with society. People have forgotten how to be nice. People have forgotten how to share. Next time you are in public, remember, you might be in someone else’s way so be first to say “Excuse me” and be last to release that emphatic huff of sarcastic steam from your lungs.

Share your space with others… you may need them to share with you. Say “Excuse me” and be genuinely nice about it. It really is that easy, and it really does work. Politeness conquers rudeness.