Please excuse me, but I must oblige.

I love the advances women have made in society.  For the most part, discrimination is extinct, at least by law.  I often find myself proud of how much I have accomplished in comparison to the women in my family.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not putting down what they accomplished at all, but what I have achieved so far would not have been possible for some of my relatives or without the help of those relatives.  I am pursuing a career in a very male dominated industry.  The job is often quite physically demanding.  However, I do not fear the possibility of success due to my gender.

Speaking of physically tough times, I just watched the Lonesome Dove mini-series.  Wow.  Now, I understand that they are fictional characters but I must insist that they are based somewhere in truth.  If that book had been written about stock brokers, or some other profession, it would be a lot harder to believe.  I apologize for bringing up cowboys once again, but I really cannot set aside the chivalry and moral stubbornness they possess.  What man wouldn't want to be Augustus McCrae?  And what woman wouldn't want to be Clara Allen?  Clip from the series.

I may be tough, but it is just darn polite to lend a hand.  I was struggling with some large equipment through the rain and subways.  Three men offered to help me, two of which were actually near my age and quite handsome (a rarity).  I don't expect men my age to be quite so polite.  Now if only this chivalry would extend past a simple few seconds of carrying a large board.

Now, I've come across this bizarre phenomenon.  Women, especially those in metropolitan areas, want to prove they are capable of taking care of themselves.  I understand that completely.  But the dating arena is very different than the professional.  This is where I get quite old fashioned.  I can have a career and support myself, but it isn't a big deal for the gentleman to pay for dinner once in a while.  Why is it such a crime to do so?  Who decided a person could not take care of themselves just because they were treated to dinner?  Just because someone opens a door for me doesn't mean I cannot do it myself.  There is a line when this may be implied though.  I have encountered men who are insistent on being overly caring for women.  You know where?  Not in America!  This was in places where women are still second class in some ways.  This "chivalry" definitely crosses the line into oppression.  However, Americans need not fear this.  Any men really should not worry about offending women by offering to pay for dinner or opening a door.  I really hate how this has taken over much of the dating world in metro areas.  I don't know how many women agree with me, but my diverse group of friends seems to.

So man up and embrace tradition.  It became tradition for a reason.

Chivalry does not have to be a myth.

*Chivalry by Frank Dicksee

Now, for something funny about this situation.  Watch this.

Prescription:  Just think about how you would want to be treated if you were the opposite gender.

Back in the Saddle

 *Taken on my trip

I made it through the past month and am back online.  Thank goodness.

This post may wander for a bit, but I promise it will come back down to what I feel it takes to be classy, as I define it.  I find respect from your peers a crucial slice of the classy pie.

While I was away, I became more in tune with the idea of "craft".  Crafting something precisely by hand is a dying tradition as machines become more inexpensive and technologically advanced.  Fortunately I was able to watch many craftsmen work diligently.  As they skillfully worked, these men were not only earning wages but were in a larger sense preserving a tradition of their culture.

It is important for us to not lose sight of our cultural heritages and to embrace the traditions that give us substance.  Whether your tradition is to keep riding horses on a ranch or to carve delicate petals from marble, it embodies that unwavering vigor that is the human spirit.  To keep doing something the way it should be done is impressive on many levels.  The skill with which somebody painstakingly performs tedious tasks is laudable, along with the fact that they continue do it on principle.

I am delighted that cowboys still exist and some of them stick to the methods used decades ago.  But to watch someone perform skills centuries old is on another level.  Making something by hand simply because it should be done that way is beyond admirable.

Another process not often considered complex is the act of making tea.  A friend of mine has deeply explored and learned the crafts that go into making a cup of tea.  The process of making a documentary about tea lead him to appreciate tea in an unparalleled way.  (Visit this website.)  This friend taught me how making a cup of tea can be analogous to filmmaking.  As a filmmaker, I am greatly inspired by the many details that go into making a film.  If you are not interested in how the film works down to a subatomic level, then why are you working in that medium in the first place?

The science and art of making anything from and with anything else is invaluable to that artist.  But artist may not be the most appropriate term.  Rather, one could think of that person as a creator.  Even then, "creator" does not really reach the extent to which I am grasping.  Facilitator may be the closest I can get at the moment.  Because this person is dealing with so many elements, so many incredibly and infinitely unpredictable elements, they need to hone the craft.  It must be learned in a way that working in the craft is no longer a thought but is a reaction, often emotional or beyond consciousness.

The aforementioned friend brought my understanding of filmmaking (specifically cinematography) from a passion to a general idea, to a concept, to a disconnected nebula of science, to artistic endeavor, to profession, and ultimately back down to an emotional response.  For this I will always be grateful.

So, I hope whatever you pursue in life, you do it with all of the zeal, zest, and cogitation you can muster.  Because it is only from that which you derive satisfaction that ultimately adds to your life.

And when you do this, when you do what is right and fulfilling, you will be respected.  You will have self respect and the respect of others.

My conclusive advice, if you even care to listen, is to take your craft seriously, whatever it may be.  Take it seriously, but not more than it deserves.  Give your work the respect you want for yourself and you will be released from the chains of indecision.  Surviving self doubt will be worth it.  I plan on revisiting these ideas more thoroughly at a later time.  I apologize for the disconnected nature of this post.

I find so much inspiration in the cowboy way of life.  Here is an example of what I mean.  A real man doing real honest work.

Prescription:  Listen to THIS.  Don't forget that "a ranch is just dirt. Grass comes with help from above. Success comes with hard work, luck and care."