Gentlemen: A thing of the past?

Many would argue that gentlemen are a thing of the past, a forgotten art which is not only forgotten but useless in this day and age. However, I am here to argue that that is wrong, and, this being the Real Truth or Bust blog, I would have to be right otherwise I would be defying the very title of my own blog.

So, what is a gentleman? Well, it's in the name. A gentleman, is a man who is gentle. I know all you men are probably shocked at this idea. Men gentle? That's unmanly, we must be strong, masculine, rough, and boisterous. Well, that would be right and wrong. As men, we must be strong, masculine, at times rough, and boisterous when we are in certain settings where that is acceptable, but we must also be gentle. Why, you ask? Because a man who has lost his gentleness, has lost his ability to truly be a man, he is just a shell of what he should be, he has lost his true purpose and cannot function properly because he lacks the only thing that separates him from the animals, his ability to care.

So, how does one become a gentleman? How does a man remain a gentleman? Well, first and foremost, we must recognize that women are important, most of all, that they are people, not things.

God made man before woman. That would be true. God made woman from a man. That would also be true. Therefore man is above woman. That would be false. I will not get in to the whole "who is better" debate, all I'll say, is that if you think you're better then women, you'd better check back into reality because you are terribly lost. The way I look at it is, God made women because men didn't have anything to care for. Put a group of men into a room for a few years and they'll turn into a bunch of grunt, foul mouthed, brutes who only care about themselves. Add women to the picture and suddenly we have manners, care for others, and a pleasant to be around. So, remember, you are not better then women, you are not higher then them, greater then them, or even smarter then them. In fact, without them, you'd be nothing but a shell of who you are now.

Second, you must protect women. You seeing a trend here? Women are obviously the weaker of the two genders, they don't like to admit it, but it's the truth. So, they need us as much as we need them. No, we are not supposed to just help them because they need it, we must help them because we care. Most women are very thankful when a man comes to help them, even if they didn't really need the help. It not only shows them that they are not unnoticed, but it let's them know that you care, and women like it a lot when people care.

Third, treat women like people, not objects. The second you objectify a woman, is the second you become an animal, and the second I track you down and deliver you a sock to the face. The thing that separates us from animals is our ability to care, as I said before. Sure, animals care for their young, but that is because of their instinct to protect their own. Our inherent instinct is to protect ourselves. So, our ability to truly care, helps us to see past the physical appearances of a person to what actually makes them, them, and then to fight past our own instincts to protect ourselves, and protect them. When you can see past the physical appearances of a woman to the beauty of her heart, that is when you are a gentlemen. When you open that door, not because she is pretty, but because she has a beautiful soul that is treasured by God, that is when you become a gentleman. When you walk on street side of the sidewalk to protect her from danger because she is gift from God, something too precious to count in gold, that is when you become a gentleman.

The truth is, a gentleman, is a man who, despite his rough, boisterous, and stubborn characteristics, can become as gentle as a lamb and still retain his masculinity. A gentleman does not ask that you let go of your masculinity, rather, it asks you to become more then it. A gentleman asks you to rise above your natural instincts and become so much more then "just a man."