By Sharmini Jayawardena
The grossest reality to endure for me are a person’s mannerlessness and lack of finesse! These qualities being rare characteristics these days. I’m still recovering from the ill-bred, disgusting, total lack of behavior of post election Malaysia. I’m ashamed to reveal this to the world, though much of it is all out there online for all to see. Absolute disgrace in my thinking‼
Of course, good manners, refinement, etiquette and finesse being qualities afforded to the discerning few who are fortunate enough to know better.
Neither wealth nor high birth having to be precursors to holding any of these values or supreme qualities.
I have been lucky🍀 enough to have associated with these subtleties of life almost all along in my life, my mother having been a true lady in every sense of that word, even the very embodiment of it, while my dad complemented her in every way.
I must say that I associated with quite a few persons of good breeding growing up in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Having left my homeland and arrived at another, my closest ally at the time was equally admirable, until he caved under the sheer pressure of existence. I don’t need to go into detail on that here.
Over here at the time, I met people of different persuasions and beginnings, who I must say they had their own variety of charms which were extremely admirable.
For some reason, I’ve had to face, however indirectly it may be, a string of examples of bad and ill-bred behavior from all quarters of the community since returning here, this time around.
People don’t lay down the parameters for privacy anymore. Instead, they transgress, step on you and all over you at will and at random. This is truly unacceptable behavior on their part and they don’t realize there’s a legal term for it – assault‼
This widespread moral turpitude irks me.
Especially today, when there is no excuse for bad behavior with the internet carrying everything from how to say “Hello” to how to sit in public, on its many sites.
Neither did I know that there were a number of tones in which you can say, “Hello”, the meaning varying according to inflection! Amazing☺️. It was only while I found myself in the English language lectures of Professor Doric De Souza, did I learn this. Who knew‼️
So, buckle up buttercup, and let us see some good behavior from you‼
