.....in the Tropics!

Yes, you knew I was going there.....all the talk about civility cannot be completed without mentioning how things work in more gentile surroundings. Let's be clear, there are rude people everywhere. There is no escaping that. Big cities and developed countries do not have an exclusive on that. The difference is........as a whole there are nicer people in other places.

Starting with living in a place where we know each other, we see each other frequently, the chances of running into someone you know in almost every place you visit during the day makes for a more relaxed way of life. You are in your best behavior, you tend to smile at yourself and start small talk with your friends and acquaintances, you feel more like yourself...

Back home in Curaçao, there is an amazing little custom that other places can copy. Any given Monday, when people greet you in person, on the phone, even on emails, first things they say: Bon Dia, Bon Siman! Yes, good morning and good week...that's it. Well, it's a bit hard to get upset after that, wouldn't you say?

Laughter, that is another thing. People in other places tend to have a laugh ready for everything. It could be that living in nicer surroundings make you nicer? Maybe that is simplifying the problem too much.....or maybe not. There are very nice people in cold northern countries and very rude people in balmy, sunny ones. In Curaçao, there is a sense of fun everywhere you go...ask me why??!! The days are sunny, the breeze cools the nights and the beaches take your breath away. So is it the attitude, the beauty of the place or the way life is lived in the Tropics.....

You remember that catchy tune of years ago: Don't worry, be happy!!!! I go to Panama frequently to see my mother. I still cannot get over the fact that people are so nice. From bank tellers, to supermarket cashiers, to taxi drivers to waiters....everyone goes out of their way to help. Oh, and everyone is cheerful! The climate is not the reason there: it can be horribly hot and humid and rain can pour for days at the time. So back to attitude.....right?

Who knows? It is, thought, a fact that has made me believe that these two places are much nicer than the one I find myself in at the moment. Social graces.....in some places that is a way of life. In others it's an effort.......graceful living is unknown. It is time to take a second look at the Tropics!!!

Civility.......

I have no idea what is happening in the world...civility has gone out the window and very few people seem to mind. Am I being old-fashioned? Am I showing my age..uhmmm? Well, who cares... there is no age in good manners and there is nothing wrong with behaving with civility...I do have some theories, and I'm sure you knew that! The bigger the country, the worse it is. The bigger the influence of television and movies, the worse it is.

It has become a way of life to communicate via mobile phones, emails, social networks such a Facebook. That is all fantastic, it's the future, it's the world moving forward, I get it. Still, we need more human contact. Face to face exchanges have become so rare...why? we are human beings, we need eye contact, we need touch, we need to exchange ideas with spoken words.

What to do...those things seem so unfashionable at the moment. I think is the way we behave in big places. There is no time to get to know each other, no desire to exchange pleasantries, not need to be nice.....we need to get back to basic. Back to when we all knew each other's name, back to when we knew our neighbors....or maybe I am too naive.

Big cities don't lend themselves to warm relationships. All work and no play is a way of life. We commute and get home and need to solve every crisis that has presented itself during the time we were away at work. We need to complete tasks started before we can start new ones. Then we sit to see the 24 hours cable news, comedies, dramas and other so called entertainment. Sitting around the dinner table is a thing of the past, and if it happens...there is little to talk about. We are cranky, upset, tired and have no patience for anyone. No wonder we explode in uncivil behavior.

When we are outside the home, we behave in the same manner. We are impatient and rude and want to get our way quickly before we move on to another thing. How sad! We must remember that civilization comes from civility. How is civilization going to survive is civility is the first casualty of modernization?

We need to get back to simple things, paying attention to what is said to us before we react. We need to make sure our children know how to answer, how to ask for things and how to thank people. Please, the world is beautiful...stop and enjoy it. It will give you time to improve civility.

"Wowed by Curaçao"....

Once more Baz Dreisinger, from Caribbean Travel and Life magazine has gone to Dushi Korsow.....and has written a most wonderful article!!! This new piece is the continuation, if you will, of another written in March. He has captured with amazing insight the sights and sounds of this unique island.

From the beautiful landscape to the cosmopolitan feel of the nightlife, to the many languages you can hear in the cool winding alleys of the capital city of Willemstad, to the breathtaking beaches and the marvelous sunsets, Baz didn't miss a thing. I have been, for years, trying to get anyone I meet or has not been paying attention to recognize the uniqueness of this island. I talk about it, make my new friends take a second look, write about it every chance I get, wrote a book about my life there AND have this blog!!! Since I moved away, I never miss a chance to visit.....it's "home".

Today my friends' facebook pages are buzzing with comments and the link to the article is being passed around. We are all loving this!

At the time of the first article, I wrote a letter to the magazine complimenting them on it. It was published in May and I got a small gift...a Caribbean music CD that doesn't include ONE piece of Curaçao music!!! Really? I think they could have done better.....Anyway, my subscription ran out and I didn't mind, but now I thinking of getting it again. Any publication that is wise enough to recognize the unique beauty and fabulous people, the culture and the cosmopolitan feel of this paradise deserves a second chance!

P.S.
Book info at the end of the page!!!!! why not?