Great article. As a gentleman, father, grandfather and man closer to 70 than 60, I can tell you that while this is an ideal, the best laid plans of mice and men still are subject to fate. Several of my friends have passed with various ailments, some kept in great shape while others, not so much. That being said, we should still strive for an ideal to be physically, mentally and most importantly spiritually prepared to meet the challenges of life. The knights of old referred to this virtue as prowess, a term i really like. The other virtues on can look up, but they include courage, justice, loyalty and so forth.
For me, I strive to instill into my grandchildren the importance of being capable physically and mentally. We read Lord of the Rings, Sir Gawain and the green knight, King Arthur and many stories that promote masculine virtue and prowess. Its important to hold up an ideal to the younger generation to combat the anti-male feminists that label many male traits toxic. An article I can recommend, one can read for free, is "The Necessity of Chivalry" by C.S. Lewis. One can see the dual demand placed on a gentleman.
"The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs: he is also a demure, almost a maiden-like, guest in hall, a gentle, modest, unobtrusive man."
“The important thing about this ideal is, of course, the double demand it makes on human nature. The knight is required to be not a compromise between ferocity and meekness but both fierce and meek.”
Great article. As a gentleman, father, grandfather and man closer to 70 than 60, I can tell you that while this is an ideal, the best laid plans of mice and men still are subject to fate. Several of my friends have passed with various ailments, some kept in great shape while others, not so much. That being said, we should still strive for an ideal to be physically, mentally and most importantly spiritually prepared to meet the challenges of life. The knights of old referred to this virtue as prowess, a term i really like. The other virtues on can look up, but they include courage, justice, loyalty and so forth.
For me, I strive to instill into my grandchildren the importance of being capable physically and mentally. We read Lord of the Rings, Sir Gawain and the green knight, King Arthur and many stories that promote masculine virtue and prowess. Its important to hold up an ideal to the younger generation to combat the anti-male feminists that label many male traits toxic. An article I can recommend, one can read for free, is "The Necessity of Chivalry" by C.S. Lewis. One can see the dual demand placed on a gentleman.
"The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs: he is also a demure, almost a maiden-like, guest in hall, a gentle, modest, unobtrusive man."
“The important thing about this ideal is, of course, the double demand it makes on human nature. The knight is required to be not a compromise between ferocity and meekness but both fierce and meek.”
Well said - each day is not promised.
I remind myself that even getting into the 40’s ranges is a bonus.
This was as an absolute banger
Thank you sir
Okay… this is now my favorite post yet. All that crap from your last post about being interesting is just a sidebar haha.
Hard to argue with the template you just laid out man. Thank you