Spending time with one of my cousins opened my eyes to something. I frequently spend time with her and with her boy friends. Usually the one's she is currently interested in. And I've met two or three of them but in the last month I've met the two she's liked most and they're very good friends so it's been a titch of a sticky situation. Tonight I met one of them I was surprised by him. Surprised in a most pleasant way. They were sitting together and I, of course, was observing as I am ought to do. And he was so tentative. Perhaps that's not the word I want. I he was incredibly respectful but he was also so.....gentle. I don't know if that word has connotations I'm unaware of but it seemed the perfect way to describe this boy. Gentle. I looked the word up and my favorite definitions included "kindly; amiable; not severe, rough, or violent; mild; gradual; soft or low; polite; refined". All good words, but I love "not severe", "soft", and "refined" because it just seems to describe exactly what this boy was and exactly what not only men, but all people, should be.
And it occurred to me that gentle is a word infrequently used or mocked when used in terms of "gentleman" and so I used the dictionary again. A gentleman is described in a lot of ways but my favorite way is "a gentleman is civilized, educated, sensitive, or well mannered". Like WOW. I think the first two are important, incredibly so, but I love the last two. Sensitive is a word used to mock boys and men but it's important for them to be sensitive to others, and themselves. Well-mannered just seemed.....well perfect. I find the reason I dislike spending time with certain people is because of poor manners. I don't think good manners are, or should ever be, left to just men or just woman but both should be well-mannered.
I couldn't help thinking at the end of all my thoughts tonight
that if only more men in the world were
gentle.
that if only more men in the world were
gentle.
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