Now, at 82 years of age, I recall what I learned as a kid about how I was to behave with simple good manners. Over the years I\u2019ve observed many changes particularly with the use of technology, Therefore, I decided to see what I might want to consider as what, to me, are simple good manners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In closing, I can see that many of what I learned as simple good manners has disappeared; however, I\u2019ve also discovered that I can\u2019t change anyone. So what\u2019s left is I can set an example or make a demonstration of what good manners are to me and maybe some will see the value can catch on. Meanwhile, I can only observe and have agape for them. Agape is seeing that whatever a person has done, is doing or ever will do, including self, is doing it with what light they have at that moment. They feel it to be right, proper and\/or justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And if I really want to experience being rude, I practice with spam calls. I now answer the phone with \u201cWho\u2019s calling\u201d and some get the message and hang up and others I hang up on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PS You probably don\u2019t have many experiences being around blind people, but I\u2019ve found simple good manners can be extended to those of us with disabilities and following is a few of those needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blind manners<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This part of the blog is extra, but I add it since I\u2019m experiencing blindness in a sighted community. Many sighted people are uncomfortable and even scared to approach a blind person thereby missing out on some interesting conversation. So here are some ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you see a blind person struggling and seeming lost, ask of you can be of assistance. This happens to me at the gym because I don\u2019t want to sit in someone\u2019s lap by accident and they may not see my cane, so I find the back of the machine and follow it down so I might find a shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it is necessary to lead a person, it is helpful for me to hold on to your elbow. That way if one of us trips and falls, we both don\u2019t go down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If an aisle is not wide enough you can move your elbow toward your back and that tells me without voice to get behind you so I don\u2019t run into whatever\u2019s in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is well to remember that my fingers and hands are now my eyes, so I may need to touch things and covid created much discomfort around this very natural human connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I very often shy away from social situations because I can\u2019t see who\u2019s in the room and so sitting alone is a bit uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are speaking to me, please use my name if you can so I know I\u2019m being spoken to. Refrain please from saying \u201cCan you guess who I am?\u201d It\u2019s embarrassing and I have many voices to remember. All my friends and family now are just voices and the joke is that with AI many of the voices don\u2019t have any bodies and are not really human. For me it\u2019s Siri, voiceover, Alexa, Echo, Ziggy, Jaws and now Meta glasses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PSS: So with this age, there are many disabilities. Living with a deaf person gives me the challenge and opportunity to try to communicate with someone who can\u2019t hear and understand his challenges opposite to mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So at any age, we are challenged adjusting with, to us, what is to us simple good manners to those we\u2019re around – with their past, present, health challenges and much more. All this makes it even more valuable to look at the pages within the website and learn how we can be sane and also serve in this manmade world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Now, at 82 years of age, I recall what I learned as a kid about how I was to behave with simple good manners. Over the years I\u2019ve observed many changes particularly with the use of technology, Therefore, I decided … Continue reading