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20 October 2026

A person’s character often reveals itself in moments when there is no advantage to be gained.

Watch how someone speaks to a security guard, a cleaner, a delivery worker or a waiter. Notice whether they say thank you, whether they listen when spoken to, and whether they treat a small mistake with patience or contempt. These ordinary encounters can tell us more than an impressive introduction or a carefully chosen public image.

We are accustomed to judging people by their education, profession, possessions and achievements. Yet none of these guarantees kindness. A person may hold a senior position and still fail to recognise the dignity of someone doing essential work. Another may have little authority but offer respect without hesitation.

Courtesy does not require grand gestures. It can be as simple as moving aside, speaking without humiliation, acknowledging someone’s effort or remembering that a person serving us has a life beyond the task being performed.

Of course, respect does not mean accepting poor work or avoiding legitimate complaints. We can be firm without being insulting. Standards and decency are not opposites.

Much of the work that keeps our daily lives running happens quietly, often unnoticed. The least we can do is ensure that the people doing it do not feel invisible.

A little courtesy costs almost nothing. To the person receiving it, however, it can make an ordinary working day feel very different.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com