You may have read about our

nation's problem with rudeness in last week's newspaper. The research

group Public Agenda released the findings of a telephone survey taken

in January in which 79 percent of the 2,013 adults queried said a lack

of respect and courtesy in American society is a serious problem. Sixty-one

percent believe things have gotten worse in recent years.

Examples included loud talking

on cell phones in public places; allowing cell phones to ring at inappropriate

times, such as in church or during a wedding; cursing in public without

regard to small kids, mixed company, or others' feelings; driving like

you own the road; allowing your kids to run wild without proper parental

attention.

The respondents said poor customer

service has become so bad that nearly half of those surveyed said they

have walked out of a store in the past year because of it. Six drivers

in ten say they regularly see other people driving aggressively or recklessly.

Miss Manners certainly has her work cut out for her.

What to do? People surveyed

confronted with rude behavior, the right thing to do is to respond with

excessive politeness. Twenty percent said it is best to point out the

bad behavior. But forty-two percent said the best thing to do is just

walk away. I have another suggestion first suggested in last time's column:

just be nice . Why is it so hard for people to just be nice?

We need more random acts of

kindness like the one Charlie committed. Charlie was a manager who stopped

to rent a video. He went to the video counter, and then realized he had

left his reading glasses in the car and couldn't read the form. So the

clerk, a teenager named Jackie, said, "I'll be glad to fill that

out for you if you'll give me your information."

So they stood at the counter

and Jackie was very helpful. Then she excused herself to go get the video.

After she left, Charlie wrote a little note that said, "I like Jackie

because she's enthusiastic, extremely helpful, very gracious, and cooperative."

He signed his name.

Jackie came back carrying the

video and Charlie handed her the note, and when she looked at it, she

literally squealed. The store manager and several customers standing nearby

looked up with alarm. The manager came over and said, "what's the

problem?"

Jackie said, "There is

no problem. Read this!"

The manager looked at the note

and said, "That is really nice."

Charlie got his video and went

home. In about 30 minutes, the phone rang and it was Jackie. She asked,

"Did you really mean what you said in your note?"

"Of course I meant what

I said," Charlie responded.

Jackie started crying over

the phone. She said, "I'm 17 years old, and never in my entire lifetime

has anyone said anything like that to me."

This thoughtful gesture took

so little effort from Charlie, but meant such a great deal to Jackie.

Why can't we just be nice?

"Be kind to one another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you"

(Ephesians 4:32).

Dr. David L. Chancey is

pastor of McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville. The church family

invites you to join them for Bible study this Sunday at 9:45 a.m. and

worship at 10:55 a.m.

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