Today's Gentleman

Some people may think that there is no real point in being (or acting like) a Gentleman.  Why bother, right?

I think by now you all probably know my take on this, so I won’t bother going into it in great detail.   I will, however, use some quotes to try an illustrate why living the life of a true Gentleman is important to me.

Some reflections on true character… using tree imagery. 

First a quote from Abraham Lincoln: 

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

This makes me reflect on the shadow I’m casting through the careful crafting of my life.  I can’t always have control over the shadow,but I can certainly influence it’s potential.

My second quote is from an unknown author:

As a tree falls so must it lie,
As a man lives so must he die,
As a man dies so must he be
Through all the days of eternity

I like this too.  It makes me reflect on the growth of the tree again, the shaping of my life.  For all that will be left for those we leave behind will be the memory of us, as we lived. 

And if we lived to positively impact society and bring enjoyment to as many of those we came into contact with as possible; then we will have left behind a great legacy indeed.

Pete