The Moral Vision
Social Behaviour
~ 217 ~
Polite behaviour falls into two categories. One
follows the conventional etiquette reserved for
relatives, acquaintances and people with whom
one’s interests are associated. It is socially beneficial
in that it makes relationships easier, smoother and
more generally civilized. Even if such behaviour is
sometimes artificial, it has a certain positive, social
value. The other kind of good behaviour is
completely natural, straight from the heart and
based on genuine consideration for others. When it
becomes a matter of habit with people from all
walks of life, it is of inestimable value in all human
relations. It is not, of course, something which one
“switches on” in the hopes of immediate reward,
but is something rather which eventually benefits
one in innumerable, often intangible ways, simply
because it makes for social harmony at its best.
