One of the most grounding lessons I carry is from a woman who is truly after my own heart — my mother.
Growing up, greetings in our household were not just routine. They were intentional.
You didn’t just say, “Mamukasei.”
She would pause, look at you and ask, “Mamukasei ani? VaGudo here?”
That meant you had to follow through: “Mamukasei Mama.”
“Mamukasei Daddy.”
She wanted you to be intentional about addressing people by who they are to you.
Not because she was strict. But because she believed in honour.
She knew names carried meaning. That how you greet someone reflects how you see them.
Even now, as an adult, I can’t bring myself to just say “hi” loosely — especially in professional or formal spaces. It’s “Good morning, Samantha.” “Hello, Mr Moyo.” “Thank you, Chenai.” Because names matter.
Another thing my parents did so well — they were present.
When I had something to say, they would put their phones aside.
No scrolling. No “uh huh” while staring at a screen.
Up to this day, if I sit next to my father to talk, he’ll hold his phone in one hand, place it down, and face me squarely.
They taught me that attention is respect. That presence is love.
And so now, in this generation of swipes, dings, pings and emojis — it shakes me a bit how people enter spaces.
Someone will message me out of nowhere, no greeting, no “Hi Nicole,” no context — just a demand:
“Send me that link.”
“I need a CV.”
“Can I get your help?”
And I sit there thinking:
Like, where’s the human in your approach?
No greeting. No warmth. No sense of, “I’m entering someone’s space. Let me knock first.”
I don’t say this to shame anyone. I say it to remind us: We’re not robots. We’re not machines. We’re not just inboxes.
People still appreciate courtesy. People still respond to presence.
People still want to feel seen.
You don’t need a PhD to say “Good morning”.
You don’t lose cool points by saying “Thank you”.
You don’t get passed over by saying “May I please?”
In fact, those are the very things that open doors faster than any formal qualification ever will.
So if I ever reply slowly, or don’t respond at all — it’s probably because you walked into the room without knocking.
Let’s raise our children — and ourselves — to value human dignity again.
Let’s not lose the essence of connection in the name of modern communication.
Respect will never go out of style.