Are good manners a thing of the past?

Growing up,my parents always pushed the need to have good manners and  show respect to my elders. They not only told me the importance of good manners but they also lived it. Walking on the streets of my country each and everyday as left me wondering if good manners are a thing of the past. When I enter a taxi I always stop to say good morning,when I pay the taxi driver and receive my change I say thank you,however I've noticed that others don't often return the favour. I was in a taxi a week ago and I told a lady good morning and she simply chose to ignore it.  The young people in our country are either not learning the importance of good manners or they just simply don't care. Is the lack of good manners related to the fact that our young people feel they are too grown? It always warms my heart when I come across a young person who will exercise good manners. It is such a rare commodity that it even takes me off guard from time to time. This issue of our young people not exercising good manners is simply related to the fact that those of us who are suppose to set a good example for them have often times forgotten the importance of good manners themselves. There is a young man who passes my house from time to time and will stare in my face but never say good morning or good afternoon. My neighbor stopped him once and told him to say good morning, he did, but since then he has never said it again. In his case it all comes down to what he had learned, because his mother is the very same way. She is a Christian woman but she has never once uttered the words good morning or good afternoon. The way I see it , people who are mannerable instantly become more likable as they  show a level of respect no matter who you are. 

If a child doesn't learn good manners it can't ever come as a surprise when they refuse to show you any other form of respect. The simple things like please and thank you and good morning and good afternoon are the stepping stones to higher levels of respect. As parents, instead of firstly ensuring that the outfit and shoes match ensure that you are instilling very good values in your child. The lack of good manners in society is one of the major reasons why society is in so much of a chaos. Let's make it our duty to bring back the importance of good manners in our society.