A person has one chance in life to make a mark on his or her family, friends, society and the world.

Stephen Grellet, a nobleman who fled the French Revolution, is known for one famous quote. Many of you have seen it before and not known who it was that first uttered it.

It didn’t matter that you never knew who originally coined the phrase; the power of the words were certain to stick with you for days, weeks, months, maybe even years after you read it.

We need more Stephen Grellets in today’s world.

We are constantly bombarded with images and news stories about global warming, the phenomenon of the earth’s temperature rise due in part to the rapid deterioration of the ozone layer.

There is another global warming that is occurring however, and if it does not get nipped in the bud its expansion will make the ozone layer depletion seem like a walk in the park.

Have you noticed lately that people are not nearly as kind and polite as they were say, 10 years ago.

When was the last time you went shopping and the salesperson greeted you with a smile and a kind word?

Can you remember the last time someone offered to help you do something that they were not obliged to do?

There seems to be a serious lack of decency and kindness in today’s society and it has now reached the point where it is obvious.

Even in an institution like Wal-Mart, who in the past was notorious for friendly service as well as an above and beyond level of customer service, has seem to lost its compassionate edge.

There use to be a time when &uot;the customer is always right&uot; was the slogan ingrained in any successful business enterprise. Nowadays it’s more like &uot;the customer is always interrupting my phone calls&uot;, or &uot;the customer is always shopping when I’m trying to talk to my friends.&uot;

In today’s world, tempers flare faster, police shoot quicker, relationships breakdown at breakneck speeds, and the overall tone of our nation is pretty much &uot;why are you bothering me?&uot;

When people take pride in their work it is easy to see the fruits of their labor in the products, which they offer to the public regardless of whether or not that product is a tangible item or merely good service.

When people take pride in the way they treat other people, we are forced to take notice of the aspects of human nature that we would aspire to reflect for ourselves.

One good turn deserves another. What about one bad turn?

The other day I had to pick up a couple of things from several stores here in Ahoskie. The young lady who sold me a pair of sneakers was pretty nice. She was professional, courteous and seemed genuinely eager to assist me (even if it was just for the commission). Her co-worker, however, could have cared less whether I was in the store or not.

I stopped in another business and the employee was nice, but the entire time I was in the store she stayed in the back talking on the telephone.

On more than one occasion I entered a store and was quickly approached by a staff member who I thought was boiling with excitement about having a new customer in the store. It turns out they just wanted to get my packages from other stores out of my hands and behind the counter so I wouldn’t try to steal anything.

That’s a great way to welcome me to your store, take my bags and put them behind your desk.

Unfortunate as the current lack of human decency is, the situation cannot be overcome with increased venom.

Regardless of how unprofessional or rude people are to us, if we don’t manage to take the high road, we shall certainly fall victim to the same mindset.

If there is any chance whatsoever for our children to be able to live in a world where people still smile and are happy to give you a hug, humility must prevail over bravado and self-indulgence.

Oh yeah, about that famous quote by Mr. Grellet, it goes a little something like this; &uot;I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now, let me not defer or neglect it, for I may not pass this way again.&uot;

Write it down and give it to the next person who has gotten a little warm. Peace.

Holla back curly.morris@r-cnews.com