I once heard a table talk at the University of Wisconsin - Madison (my alma mater). A professor, his name was Salter, was an expert on China. I shall never forget his after-dinner talk.
1) Asian culture "rounds" persons through emphasis on good manners in human relations. When two circles collide they bounce off each other. Manners, the "rounding" of a person, in short, mutes conflict, frition between and among people. Of course, the population densities in Asia enhance the need for manners to help people to get along with each other at close quarters.
2) The Western person in contrast is a "square." More and more, our society lacks manners. In fact, our society celebrates vulgarity, the lack of manners, as an achievement. What happens when two squares collide? They do not bounce of glance off each other. Instead they lack, clash.
As we eliminate basic manners from our society, more and more we shall find it hard to get along with other people. It will be "make my day." Because of our wide-open spaces in North America, it has been always easy to run away, escape from other people. Today, our organizational life inhibits this historic escape valve for tension among people.
3) People with manners will be able to work with Asians. At the rate the USA is collapsing, all of us will need to measure up to Asian standards of manners if we want to do business, have a future. Yet, our schools do not teach or onsist on manners any longer. It is the Titanic again.
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