Where have all the polite people gone

Ok time for my first rant

What has happened to common social courtesies in the world today? Have our lives become so hurried that we can’t say excuse me or thank you anymore? Or is it simply a case of perceived self importance that has led us to disregard even the simplest forms of politeness? Is it too much to expect a thank you when holding a door for a stranger or an excuse me when bumped into? I find myself as I get older becoming more and more annoyed at people to fail to show even the smallest signs of social graces. Even a common sense behavior like letting people who are on the elevator exit before trying to enter the elevator yourself seem to be lost. I am sure some will say that I am just being petty and over sensitive to these things but I think that is also a by-product of our times. Too many people sit idle and just let things go on thinking that “oh well I guess that is just the way it is”. Now I am no charm school valedictorian, people who know me will attest to that, but I rarely forget to say thank you or hold a door. Simple things like letting the person behind you at the grocery store who only has 2 items go in front of you and your full shopping cart, letting someone into a stream of traffic or stopping so someone can cross the street go a long way toward making this a better place to live for all of us.
Do I think that doing these things makes me a better person than the next guy? No of course not . Do I think that mere politeness will cure this country of it’s ills? Not a chance. But it may make someone else’s day a little more pleasant and even though that has no effect on me at all I think that alone is worth the little bit of effort it takes me to be polite. Who knows maybe someone will let you ahead of them in the grocery store checkout line one day. Remember to say thank you if it happens.