Whatever Happened to Common Courtesy?

Somewhere along the way, convenience got bigger and courtesy got smaller.

Two Conversations

Yesterday, two completely different clients sat in my chair.

One was getting ready to meet someone she'd met online.

The other was searching for a job after being laid off through no fault of her own.

At first, their situations seemed unrelated.

But by the end of the day, I realized they were talking about the exact same thing.

The Distance Technology Created

My first client was worried.

Not about the date itself.

About whether the person she was meeting would like her in real life.

We talked about social media and how easy it is to create a version of yourself that isn't necessarily the whole truth.

Not because people are lying.

But because everybody gets to choose what they show.

The best pictures.

The best moments.

The best version of themselves.

The Silence

My second client had a different frustration.

She's been looking for a job for months.

Applying.

Interviewing.

Following up.

Doing everything right.

And yet, most of the time, she hears nothing.

No phone call.

No email.

No rejection.

Nothing.

Her applications are reviewed by software before a human ever sees them.

Sometimes she doesn't even know if a real person looked at her résumé.

They Were Talking About the Same Thing

That's when it hit me.

Technology has made communication easier than ever.

And somehow, human connection harder than ever.

We can send a message instantly.

But people ghost each other.

We can apply for jobs in minutes.

But companies don't respond.

We can see what everyone is doing.

But we rarely know how they're actually doing.

Somewhere along the way, convenience started replacing courtesy.

The Little Things Matter

Maybe I'm old-fashioned.

But I still think people deserve an answer.

I still think people deserve honesty.

I still think people deserve basic respect.

A simple "No."

A simple "Thank you."

A simple "We're going in a different direction."

A simple acknowledgment that another human being exists on the other side of the screen.

What I Miss

I don't miss everything about the old days.

But I do miss when people felt more accountable to one another.

When a phone call meant something.

When people followed through.

When common courtesy was common.

Maybe that's why these conversations stuck with me.

Because underneath the dating apps, online applications, algorithms, and social media profiles, we're all looking for the same thing.

To be seen.

To be acknowledged.

To know that we matter.

And I don't think that's too much to ask.

Love,

Bawsey