Familiarity

Ages ago, I wrote a post called "A rose by any other name..." or something like that.

And today, it popped back into my mind.

A fellow student sitting next to me, addressed another student as babe. I laughed and so did he, apologising for using such an informal word.

Seconds later another girl responded to something and said, "thanks hun".

Within minutes, I had replied, "that's ok love".

My curious mind took this and ran with it, as it occurred to me that in this day and age, life is much less formal.

The use of such names, do not as they did in the past, imply intimacy but more one of equality, friendship and very obviously shows the historical context of the times that we live in. No more do we address our teachers with Miss or Mr, but rather we use their first names.

Does this in turn show a lack of respect? Or is it that we are now used to being informal, that it is now simply a matter of fact. Should we worry about our children, leading by example?

My sister has been over for a visit and one of her passing comments was how polite my daughter is. Manners cost nothing. Being respectful is not seen as a sign of weakness but that of strength of character. I see the difference in language from 30 years ago to now and it makes me wonder what will change in the next 30 years, when my daughter is reflecting on the behaviour of her children. I hope that I am around to witness it all. We had a friend while we were growing up, who died at the ripe old age of 107. She used to say that she managed to survive 3 wars, the Boer War, WW1 and WW2. She saw the invention of the car, electricity, television and radio all come to fruition and again, I am curious to see what major changes in industry and society will come about in my life-time. It's not just about language but also about creation.