About
There was a time when “gentleman” meant a member of the nobility, the gentry. The nobility was set apart from the rest of society by titles and land ownership and (of greater import) their manners and access to education. Over time, however, education has become cheaper and the disparity between the gentleman and the common man has subsequently diminished. As the educational gap closed by the common man being raised up, so did the gaps in social duty and behavior close by the slackening of societal restraints and the blurring of traditional gender-roles. For example, it is hard to imagine a traditional “gentleman” even stepping into the kitchen, but one would be cold today not to call him a “gentleman” who prepares a romantic meal for his lady.
So now the “gentleman” exists in a gray area. He is no longer the nobility, or its American equivalent: “old money.” His manners are all that distinguish him, but even they are not what they once were. What, exactly, makes a Modern Western Gentleman is rather hard to nail down…
The problem of defining the modern gentleman is compounded when attempting to not only put it into words, but live it. To BE a Modern Western Gentleman may certainly prove as difficult as defining it. The problem is compounded yet again when the attempt is made far from the great society that is Western civilization. And yet, this is my goal.
You can take the gentleman out of the West, but you cannot take the West out of the gentleman.
