A Gentleman's Honor

Disclaimer: poor grammar and perhaps less than PC notions.

Good day Gentlemen!
This morning as I browsed through the morning news, and that which has transpired in days past, I found my eyes searching for words that seem out of print.. words of antiquity perhaps? Honorable words that support and are supported by a more noble aspect of our human spirit. Indeed my eyes did not find such satisfaction.

Today's headlines are often full of vitriol and distaste, yet we must remember that the gloves were removed by some for valid reason, and by others in a basic compulsion that lies outside the realm of goodness, honor, and integrity.
This is a fight that many of less savory inclinations would suggest proves our demise, and delegitimizes our so called high ground. This notion, good sir, I must respectfully disagree with.
Within the course of ones life, it is often that we must get these hands dirty, whether in work, play, or discord.
At play is nothing new.
In general, the lack of historical knowledge by these new generations is staggering though! Such "big and groundbreaking" ideas swirl in their naive minds as they surf this wave at the crest, ready to change the world in every way, where we of the older generations have failed... and to them this is "every way".
This youthful ignorance and naivety is as old as our species. And with due diligence one will find the ideas are nothing new. Though it is natural and necessary for the learning experience.
It is not only the character of the youth which is the problem facing us.. it is the utilization of these traits by others who should know better, for perhaps nefarious reasons, at best for political/power reasons that lie outside good will.

It takes a bit longer these days for a boy to become a man. Given that, one might assume that the voting age would increase, and yet some big voices wish to decrease the voting age to a fools age.. and anyone who says that they were not at least part fool at that young age, are either still 16 years old, or never advanced past that point mentally and emotionally.
This is a political power play that preys on the weak. IMHO.
This is everyday phenomena at this point in our great country, and in fact the world stage. The savagery continues as the tyranny of the masses is conducted by those without the moral fortitude to check themselves. They take not the high ground, yet I assume that their ends justify their means in their hungry hearts.

Balance.
This one word is the fleeting answer to an eternal question that begs attention at every turn.
We find justification in removing these gloves when need be, and yet we can see the other end of the spectrum.. we can see the savages who don't even know what a glove "is"..! Please forgive my use of what "could" be a loaded word for many.. (savages).
I tell you my friend that the difference lies in a balance.
The ability to know right from wrong is in fact being eroded by those who I contend should know better. The youth of the world are falling into this "post modern" trap of thought, that is nihilistic in essence. Again IMHO.
I believe this is happening for many reasons. One reason is that people have lost hope. And with hope they have lost the desire and or ability to hold something true and pure.. as sacred.
When I remember my grandfathers words.. one word comes to the forefront.. "integrity".
This was a man who served his country in a fight to the death, against foes who told similar lies as do many "post modern" characters.
This man did not ask for recognition when he returned. He did not cry and complain about the horrors he experienced. Not to suggest that an understanding ear is not a good thing, simply that it was a private struggle.
He came home and immediately began the task of raising his family, and taking part in the continued building of this great country.
How did he and many others do this? What elements of his character allowed him to wage an internal battle and win?.. so as to be able to contain the toxicity that would forever be a part of him? To contain it so as to mostly pass on the good parts to his offspring.. shield them from the depths of despair. To leave the war across the seas. To continue his duty as the war never really ends.
Was it integrity? Was it the fact that he held something true and pure as sacred?
This question will only be answered within me when I dedicate myself to the answer. The answer is already there.
Be a man. Be a gentleman. Get your hands dirty and know the reason why. Commit to that reason as you have committed to the answer within you.
That answer is love, honor, integrity, good faith, responsibility. It is the dedication to "hope" in actions, not gimmicky slogans by leaders who would manipulate our good natures.
The barbarians are at the gates my friends. Answer the door firmly, yet kindly, and greet the fool.
***Just my thoughts. Please share your ideas of what virtues may help move us forward in ways perhaps lost. All this is IMHO.
Sorry so long winded!!!
:chapeau

Just a warning here.

Talk from a philosophical standpoint all you want however don't turn this into a political bashing post of one side over the other.

I have been reading that for 15 minutes.....Break that up a bit, willya? ;)

Sorry Tom, tried to condense it to no avail..

Also tried to maintain the right balance of benign idea sharing, thought provocation, and humor... though I think it may have been painfully bereft of humor. ^_^ hehe

Hard not to generalize and tick someone off without removing the jewels from that bull.
Even though it may yield a tasty steer, the essence is often lost..

OH! I was speaking about breaking it up into paragraphs, indents, spaces.
That sort of thing. Makes it easier to read and comprehend!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

OH! I was speaking about breaking it up into paragraphs, indents, spaces.
That sort of thing. Makes it easier to read and comprehend!

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All right sharptonn, not everyone's a poet or a writer! :p I understand though, it was a bit tough to read, although I did like it.

I do commiserate with you though MikeT. I too lived in Kalifornia and it did seem that our ideas of the "manly traits" are a bit wanting there. I must say though that this is a common problem of the ages where the youth are not what they should be.

AUTHOR: Socrates (469–399 B.C.)

QUOTATION: The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

Mike

That last one i could read amd understand. What Mike-T wrote was just too much for this old truckdriver to understand.

And my opinion, the youth of today think only of themselves. THAT is where the problem starts.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mglindo

All right sharptonn, not everyone's a poet or a writer! :p I understand though, it was a bit tough to read, although I did like it.

I do commiserate with you though MikeT. ... the youth are not what they should be.

AUTHOR: Socrates (469–399 B.C.)

QUOTATION: The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for...

Mike

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Great point! This puts emphasis on a concept that has been running around in my small mind... the cyclical nature of culture and history.
Perhaps a good question: At what point on that eternal cycle do we find ourselves? And what can we do to move it in the right direction if not a futile endeavor?

No worries Jerry! I hardly understand it myself.
What you describe is a part of the lack of responsibility.. and so it fits well.

I love Robert Anson Heinlein, in all his forms . . . and I believe in this one maxim that he occasionally dusted off for the masses.


Every great society has had, at it's core, the belief in, "women and children first", knowing full well that without them, civilization perishes. A society that strays from this core belief will soon decline and fall to ruin.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Orville

I love Robert Anson Heinlein, in all his forms . . . and I believe in this one maxim that he occasionally dusted off for the masses.


Every great society has had, at it's core, the belief in, "women and children first", knowing full well that without them, civilization perishes. A society that strays from this core belief will soon decline and fall to ruin.

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I've never thought about that before, I'm going to read more on it.
It reminds me of my brother and I.. same house, same upbringing. But he has 5 kids and takes care of none of them. I believe a big reason is lack of willingness to sacrifice for his women and children. To put them before himself, to change his life.
In my mind a gentlemans wishes are for the best for his women and children, and he acts upon that.
Makes sense that that would spell success for a country..
Thanks for the good thoughts!

Taking Heinlein to heart is what changed my thinking towards my Father as a young man. My Dad came to Canada in 1954 with a new wife, very little English, and about $20.00 between the two of them. They got off the train in Toronto and basically had to figure things out for themselves from that point on. Raised four kids, and worked his ass off until a chronic condition forced him into retirement in the mid-80s. We always had food on the table, a roof over our heads and anything else that was needed. Dad always used to say Mom did all the hard stuff, he just went off to work every day. But that was the key. He did what was needed . . . every . . . day. Until the day he died, my Father, by the example he set, showed me what it means to be a man, a husband, and a Father. I am grateful to have had enough time to show him that his lessons were well learned.

Very good! I want to be able to say I stuck by all my kids and provided what they needed above and beyond at times.
As they are now women, I am doing some still, but less and less.

There is a reward, of sorts. Get them on the path. Everyone needs to stay self sufficient.

Just in case, anyway.
You never know when you are going to have to rely on yourself?

I mean, GEEZE! :rofl2:

***Steel hears the conversation and quickly leaves The Parlor to go to the Former POW Picnic.***

Great post MikeT, nothing to new though...this quote comes to mind:

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”

― Socrates (469–399 B.C.)

You beat me to it Phrank!

Two things for thought:

1) As the post above pointed out, people have been down on the next generation for as long as we have records of people's thoughts on society. :)

2) The kids will be alright IMHO. We always hear about the worst sections of any group of people. Young people are often dismissed as lazy, entitled, untrustworthy, and with no work ethic. But when I look at the younger kids of friends, colleagues, and family, most of them are really great. Super smart, really well-informed and engaged with the world, hard working, and determined to prove their many doubters wrong. And at work, we have a number of university students who work with us over the summer. Some of them are "bridged in" to full-time employment when warranted and when we're able, and every year we end up wishing we had more positions we could fill due to the ability and diligence of those students. Those students are (almost all) incredibly impressive young people.

None of this is to say I don't occasionally feel like witting on the porch, waving a stick, and railing at the young 'uns. But that has much more to do with the exceptional knuckleheads. I really do believe the majority will be just fine.

Good points.
Perhaps a case of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"?

Maybe squeaky wheels are contagious too? I've lived in many places, some I would not consider living in again due to the noise of squeaky wheels.
In some places, one would have to wait half a day with their stick collecting dust at the side...
In other places squeaky wheels travel in packs and leave little stinky piles of digested food in places other than restrooms.

The compensating movement of a pendulum, by necessity, is not dead center... otherwise their would be no need for toilets.

Your perspective is much appreciated! My friends try to keep me optimistic.

First thoughts go a little like this. None of these ideas can be applied to the youth of today exclusively. There are people of all age groups that reflect this way of thinking and more importantly acting. Regardless of my personal opinion on any of this one point I would make is each generation needs to look in their collective mirrors for the reason why. I learned my moral code from my parents who felt it was important to reposition my compass whenever I moved a little off magnetic north. Their rules of engagement were different than today.

Deleted - too angry.

These are very good points. IMHO
It is all too easy to point at one group, whether a generation or another group, and claim to have discovered the source of any one problem. This seems especially true in that all circumstances are interdependent in some way.
One can look around and find individuals of all age groups acting bad.

Perhaps I should not try to simplify our worlds problems with a myopic eye, even though it does give that intoxicating feeling of validation and righteousness I so crave. :soapbox:

This is why I like to hold something sacred. A good purpose.
And part of that is trying to embody what I consider a Gentleman. But I don't always succeed.
The solution begins within each of us I assume.
:beer1:

I was a high school teacher for over 3 decades and seldom met a teenager who did not impress me. I’ll give one example: Jake looked like a biker with leathers and the wallet chain and long greasy hair. He worked everyday after school with children who had physical disabilities and never talked about that with anyone. When you sat and talked with him, he was the gentlest, most respectful young man you would ever hope to meet. I’m sure many folks would have judged Jake and his parents harshly based on his appearance and they would have been very wrong.

I wish I could remember the source, but a comment has stuck with me about parenting was the statement that you get revealed to you how effective you were as a parent when you observe your children raising their own. It’s too bad that kind of self-realization takes place so long after a lot of parental damage has been done and too late for parents to self-correct.

The ideas brought forward in these replies enriched the topic more than I ever could have done alone. I'm thankful for this.
This was not a thread aimed at the youth though and I'll accept responsibility for my lack of communicative abilities if this is what was received.
The great pendulum swings as the quote from Socrates shows.
If people feel as though the words in the entro took aim at themselves, perhaps some of the loaded words and subject were in conflict with how they identify. If this was the case then great, reflection is good, this is what happened to me as I wrote it and then reread it and had to ask myself some tough questions.. why would I write it, why defend or deny it? What is the root of my emotional response to it?
It's easy to become one or the other, a catastrophizer or one who dismisses every word of caution as coming from the beak of Chicken Little.

My intent was among other things to outline what I and others might see as the virtues that our fathers and forefathers displayed in their lives and try to own it as an identification that can serve us. To identify as a Gentleman. Not what the generations long passed defined as a gentleman, but our definition, which obviously is a fluid concept depending on the individual.
I see bullies on both sides, to state otherwise would show an obvious bias on my part. IMHO
All generations have the honorable and dishonorable, it's up to us to take the good parts and move forward. To ignore that, and claim superior righteousness is folly.

As with everything it's a work in progress.