Etiquette Is Dead

... or rather, Elizabeth Post, granddaughter-in-law of the famed etiquette expert extraordinaire Emily Post, has died.  Emily Post was, and is, the grand dame of etiquette and author of "Emily Post's Etiquette," the quintessential guide to etiquette in society.  Five years after Emily Post's death in 1960, Elizabeth took over as head of the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, VT.  Of course, times changes and so do social mores; as such, Elizabeth updated the guide five times during her lifetime.  As her daughter Peggy Post says, Elizabeth believed that at the core of etiquette was being respectful, kind and considerate of others, rather than acting pretentious or condescending.

I won't bore you with personal stories of how manners and etiquette are disappearing in today's world, as I'm sure that you have your own stories to tell.  (Plus, I'm not perfect, and neither are you.)  I will say that proper etiquette is just as important today, if not more important, than it ever has been.  Regardless of the circumstances, we should always be aware of how we treat others.  As the Golden Rule goes, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you."

Click here to read Mrs. Post's obituary.