Small communities surrounded by unspoiled mountains and woodlands should benefit from being isolated from the coarseness of urban life.
You know, rude drivers that want to butt into line in bumper-to-bumper traffic, drivers who show their rage at slow pokes, litterbugs that toss fast-food wrappers here and there, scowling passers-by too indifferent to exchange cheerful greetings.
Look again. Bad manners are creeping into our way of life. Signs of needed improvement are everywhere.
One of the most visible daily afternoon displays of poor manners occurs on state Highway 75 south of Ketchum from the Elkhorn Road intersection to near St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center. A few homeward-bound drivers impatient with slow commuter traffic don't want to wait in line, and use an outside lane to speed ahead while others wait.
The Wood River Valley area's wondrous woodlands are also suffering setbacks from crude behavior.
It's not difficult to find where people have picnicked: Debris from their outings is evident—discarded paper plates, utensils, napkins, fire rings, even shards of uneaten food carelessly scattered to spoil the outdoors experience for others.
What sort of home produces visitors to the woods who leave human waste on trails rather than observing the etiquette of the wild?
Bikers and hikers who refuse to give right-of-way to uphill hikers and bikers are a safety menace, on top of being rude.
How often has a fisherman patiently hoping for action at a well-chosen spot in a stream been jostled out of his reverie by an intruder sloshing into the water to try his luck in the same fishing hole?
For those who need a refresher in good manners and civility, the community still has fine exemplars of sociability.
"Have a nice day," can still be heard on the trails during an encounter with a stranger, or when leaving a store.
"After you," survives as traditional chivalry, when men made way for women, or the young gave preferential treatment to seniors.
So little effort and so few words can create a cheerful encounter between people. Also, resisting the impulse to litter, butt ahead in traffic, or ride a bike with no regard for traffic can spare a community ugly behavior.
Home is where good manners and civil behavior are learned and practiced and good habits of a lifetime are instilled.
But even grownups who've come up short still can learn the simple, but compelling motto to live by—the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
