Some simple courtesy goes a long way

Several years ago, I was hosting a meeting in a European capital when a Singapore senior civil servant arrived in an agitated state.

He told us that he had boarded a bus and asked the driver for directions. The driver had paused, looked him in the eye and said: "Bonjour, good morning, monsieur."

The civil servant was embarrassed that a humble bus driver had to remind him of the simple courtesies in daily life.

I am often reminded of this incident, and wonder how many people in Singapore greet the driver when they board the bus and say thank you when they disembark.

As I use public transport almost exclusively to get around, I can confidently say that 99 per cent of commuters do not do this.

This is a cause for reflection. Have we lost our humanity?

I am sure we do not mean to be rude. I have also seen numerous acts of kindness and courtesy on public transport.

Surely, as we rush from one appointment to another, and text on our phones, we can say a simple "good morning" to acknowledge the human being behind the wheel who is performing an important public service, with long hours and little human contact.

In a turbulent and uncertain world, where sentiments of "me first" and "make me great again" are dominating, a return to civility, kindness, humility and courtesy would go a long way towards making Singapore a better place.

On our next bus trip, let us greet the driver and make his day.

Tikki Pang (Professor)

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 17, 2017, with the headline Some simple courtesy goes a long way. Subscribe