Essentially, one can be taught to engage in polite conversation and practice external forms of communication, yet fundamental changes in worldview—particularly those convictions that define the spiritual essence of a person—are not amenable to simple etiquette lessons.

The Limits of Etiquette: Inner Transformation vs. External Manners

Essentially, one can be taught to engage in polite conversation and practice external forms of communication, yet fundamental changes in worldview—particularly those convictions that define the spiritual essence of a person—are not amenable to simple etiquette lessons. As noted in one of the sources, external behavior can be directed and corrected through training in manners (“You can change your behavior (indeed, even a science emerged, etiquette: how to conduct oneself at the table, how to treat a lady, how to behave in society in general – but that's all external)”) (source: link txt). This indicates that although a person can learn external politeness, their inner world remains influenced by deep spiritual principles, which, according to the author, are not altered so much by human effort as by divine intervention.

Thus, if one speaks of polite conversation as a manifestation of external manners, these skills can indeed be practiced and taught. However, when it comes to changing the deeply ingrained worldview of the faithful, it remains the result of an inner transformation that cannot be easily modified through simple lessons in communication.