13

Sep

A Prayer for the Noisy…

The church service had well and truly begun.

The congregation was seated. A sermon on paying more than lip service to the Almighty was underway, when a forceful and repeated sound suddenly became impossible to ignore.

I turned to find at the centre of all the racket an elderly man, sternly looking straight ahead and attempting to snort his apparent congestion away with a relentless and rhythmic vacuum. He also seemed to believe he was hidden behind a special cloak of  invisibility.

The minutes ticked by until suddenly, the snorting was joined by another wave of distracting nasal noise.

Head after head turned to fin, at the source of all the racket, was a middle-aged man in a suit, lost deeply in the act of blowing his nose into a big, floppy handkerchief. He, also, was apparently completely oblivious to all the attention. An elderly woman in the rows behind, shook her head in disbelief.

What probably began as a momentary physical urge had indeed become a  symphony of the sinuses.

Regardless of faith or beliefs, it is good etiquette to show respect in any place of worship – respect, in the very least, for the history and tradition within those walls.

And quite frankly, I can only think of a doctor’s surgery or hospital where someone is actively encouraged to share, publicly, the noises that the human body can make.

The need to share the body’s once-private range of bubbles, burps and blasts with the world seems to be becoming more and more prevalent – particularly in the winter months.

With today’s theme in mind, I’ve compiled a list of things NOT to do – particularly when inside a place of worship:

1. Bodily noises – That means NO snorts, sniffs, burps or belches.

* Chits or Chats – spare a thought for the Pray-ers who visit such places for the serenity

* Exposing midriffs and/or shoulders – This is an oldie but a goodie. Ladies, and some laddies, it’s neither a gym nor a nightclub.

* Taking Photos – Snappers,  respect the privacy of prayer in public. Think about it like this –  how much would you appreciate someone snapping over your shoulder while you’re observing your latest shots??

* Checking into Childcare – More and more mummies and daddies are using places of worship in much the same way as childcare. I’ve seen them pull out packets of crisps and snacks and colouring books and toys and…  And then, there are the precious little darlings who are allowed to run amok throughout a service, watched on eagerly by proud parents. The care of children during a religious service is not the responsibility of the religious leader – they surely have enough to do in today’s times. Providing food and fun activities for children in churches only unfortunately reinforces the message that entertainment is more important than respect for religion and others.

It’s not rocket science. We all need to start showing a respect for respect again in society.

12 years ago Short URL Comments

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28

Mar

Your Parents Weren’t Makers of Glass…

It was a lovely summer’s day in Sydney’s Chinatown.

There was a gentle breeze blowing through sounds of touristy chatter and giggles. Pigeons were gathering on the pavement, and in a rare moment, the few people buzzing about, mere metres above, didn’t seem too bothered by their presence.

I was enjoying this view of an afternoon moment in the city… until, suddenly, a woman’s head and torso appeared before me.

I stared, somewhat in amazement. Had she simply and suddenly morphed at my table from molecular particles – as per in a science fiction film…??

Was it connected to the rest of a body??

The confusion cleared as I realised this indeed appeared to be a grandmother taking a child out for a stroll in a pram. And the spare seat opposite me…despite the abundant availability of alternative seating…had proved too tempting to ignore.

She hadn’t shifted to the left or right either… It was as if this lady had planned the co-ordinates of her landing – as skilfully and swiftly as any Boeing pilot – to navigate directly into the centre of my point of view.

Almost literally. If she had only asked for my point of view, I pondered, I would have gladly given it.

With her back turned to me and a sour and sulky expression on her face, I decided the only real way I could tell this story for the education of others was through a photograph – which, I confess, I took shamelessly and with some indulgence.

When one wants others to notice them, the best and most polite way is to:

  • face them, first and foremostly
  • and approach them with a smile and greeting

Always, always consider your surrounding environment before you plonk yourself down for a rest…and if in dire need of advancing directly into someone else’s space, smile AND make eye contact.

  • Image

12 years ago Short URL

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02

Mar

In Your Own Private Universe…

I miss manners in the world…
Good manners. Commonsense. Etiquette.
No matter what you call it, the concept of a social rulebook seems to be fading fast in today’s society.
Once upon a time, we were taught from an early age how to chew with a closed mouths; how to discreetly use a handkerchief or tissue; how to write a letter, or start a conversation.
The times are a-changing – but that doesn’t mean we must lose all connection to centuries of lessons in how to live, together, on the planet.
Murray of Tempe agrees. He writes of sitting on the bus the other day, minding his own business, when his eye was caught by some rapid movement from the woman in the seat opposite – she was filing her fingernails!! Ferociously.
Personal grooming – of any form – should be just that. Personal. Conducted in private. One wouldn’t wax or pluck one’s eyebrows on a bus and neither should one be grinding their nails away into dust in such a shared space.
I have even watched in stunned silence as friends have become visibly obsessed with picking at whatever is underneath their nails whilst in my company.
Similarly, flossing the teeth, using a toothpick, cleaning cuticles, poking in and around the ear canal and, an ashamedly increasing trend – picking one’s nose in public – are all human habits that are best undertaken in the privacy of your home.
And while on this note:
Earlier this week, I witnessed a delivery man very loudly and shamelessly gather phlegm in his mouth outside a cafe and then melodramatically direct it into the nearest bin before a small but horrified audience.
The city’s garbage bins, and streets for that matter, are not personal spittoons.
At the end of the day, it’s merely another form of littering in an increasingly polluted world.  Use a tissue or find some other, less publicly obnoxious way of marking your turf.

12 years ago Short URL

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