In this month’s issue of Tatler magazine, an article about manners refers to bad ones as a ‘greater threat to society than bird flu’, while ‘highly infectious rudeness is spreading like wild fire’ in our modern world.

In fact, good manners are the vectors of mutual respect in absence of which harmony will be at jeopardy in society. How can cooperation among human beings be a reality if we are careless and disrespectful to each other?

Each human being is like a garden where he grows his feelings, values and at times the unfortunate weeds of his shortcomings. The successful grooming of each garden is dependent upon the efficiency and effectiveness of gardeners to share their know-how and logistics because, though some may be bestowed with more fertile lands than others they might not have the skills and labour force to cultivate them and vice versa, hence the unavoidable need for effective inter-relationships.

Courtesy, which is the refined art of displaying consideration and respect to others, should never be the weakest link if society is to be a healthy, beautiful and productive garden.

Had Andre Lenotre, the great gardener and landscape architect, relied solely on his know-how and raw materials to transform the place infamously known as the “stinking pond” into the world famous Versailles garden, he would have failed pitifully.

In fact in spite of him posting signs, on which were written ‘keep off the grass’, to restrict the movement of the nobility in the delicate garden sites, the latter disrespectfully ignored his instructions severely disturbing his endeavour in creating one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes.

He finally complained to the King who made a formal announcement that it was not allowed to disobey the “keep off the grass” signs. These very signs (or “tickets”) were at the origin of the set of rules to be observed in Royal court known as etiquette, which now is defined as “conventions of behaviour accepted as polite”.

Courtesy is all about keeping off each other’s grass while helping each other cultivate his garden. It’s only at that price that our society will be free of the weeds of vulgarity and bloom with the diversity of flowers our island is reputed for.

<B> Alain Jeannot</B> <I>Alain Jeannot has recently launched a ‘courtesy campaign’ throughout the island.</I>