5 Magic Words

There are 5 magic words,
There are 5 magic words
There are 5 magic words that we know:
Please, Excuse me, Thank you, Sorry,
And the last one, Pardon me.



I believe I’ve heard this nursery rhyme over 100 times from my daughter. They taught them the ‘magic’ words and trust these tiny emotional blackmailers, they sure know how to use it to get to us.

If the little children know how ‘magical’ these words are, and use them very effectively, why don’t adults realize same and use them daily in our dealings with one another? Unfortunately these words are being used less by adults today.

Someone questioned why I said ‘thank you’ to a shop cashier after paying her and collecting my goods; I replied that there’s nothing wrong with a simple courtesy. In her opinion, I did the cashier a favour by patronizing her shop, therefore she should be grateful. Hmmmm…

Courtesy and the use of these magic words should not be reserved only for our superiors or people who do favours for us. There’s no harm in being courteous to everybody you meet, senior or junior. In your offices, in your houses, people deserve some form of courtesy.

Do you know the number of fights that would be avoided if the guilty party would say ‘I’m sorry’? Apologising doesn’t make you appear weak; rather it makes you the bigger and better person. We live in a world where people look down on the courteous, where people think being arrogant and conceited is the best approach to issues. We need to change our mindset and attitude.

Your driver and house-maid deserve courtesy, your clerk and junior staffs in your office deserve courtesy as well. May we make a conscious effort to use these magic words in our dealings with people: Please, Sorry, Thank you, Excuse me, and Pardon me. The world will indeed be a better place if/when we do.

Have a fruitful week everyone, and be kind to one another.
Hugs…