“..in today’s dizzyingly complex world of social media, hi-tech gadgets and endlessly fluctuating trends, modern men could be forgiven for being somewhat bewildered about what standards of behavior are required.”
They say chivalry is dead in our generation. I couldn’t agree more, because how often do you see someone opening a door to let others through, how often do you see a man bringing flowers for his lady, how often do you hear the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’?. There was a time when chivalry was a man’s best suit, and being a gentleman was worth the praise. But in today’s dizzyingly complex world of social media, hi-tech gadgets and endlessly fluctuating trends, modern men could be forgiven for being somewhat bewildered about what standards of behavior are required.
When confused, my rule of thumb is to stick to convention. Being old fashioned is not to be mocked at, instead it is something we should admire in our fickle world of continuous change. Today, I would like to share with you a few tips to ‘Being a gentleman’.
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Hold doors open for everyone, because that’s just a nice thing to do.
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Accord every woman the same respect that you would your mother, sister, or daughter.
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Master a good handshake. No depositing your limp sea slug of a hand on someone else’s palm, or crushing them with your rock-bitter-from-the-never ending-story force.
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Do your best not to put others down in order to elevate yourself. While you are at it, do not condescend or patronise people either. That’s just in poor taste.
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Make good eye contact, not such that it is unnerving to another though, piercing through people’s souls is only good in prose.
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Get flowers for your significant other. Just because. It is a thoughtful gesture at once simple and grand, like no other can be.
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Be compassionate, and know that you are allowed to experience the full range of human emotion.
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Keep social media activity for alone time. It is discourteous to not treat whoever you are with, to your full attention.
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Cultivate some culinary skills. Good to feed yourself and great to impress your lady.
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Be-up front about your finances, because it’s unfair for anyone to believe in the outdated gender roles of “the man should pay for everything”.
The list could go on and on. The above are just some of the pointers to keep in mind if you believe that being a gentleman will do well for you and the people around you. Remember friends, good manners will never go out of fashion.
