Answer:We are social animals and there need to be social rules when we live together in social settings. It’s important what intention we hold when we say “please” and “thank you” and that we remember why we say these things. If we are saying it in order to further our own agenda and to get what we want, then it will feel that way to the person with whom we are interacting. The “please” and “thank you” then feel manipulative and selfish to them and doesn’t mean the same thing as it might if it is said as a means of respecting the give and take of social interactions and when we truly feel a sense of gratitude for what we have been given that has prompted the “please” and “thank you” in the first place.

Intentional living allows us to make reasonable, respectful decisions about how we interact with each other, and encourages us to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us”. Saying “please” and “thank you” falls into the whole of this equation for living with each other.

Thanks for the opportunity to think in more depth about this very important subject…and in reminding us all of its importance to us and our relationships!

Char