What is your description of this?
This comment from an email list I am on intrigued me:
I would highly recommend "Broadsword and Singlestick" to anyone with an
interest in the gentlemanly arts of self defence as they were practiced
during the late Victorian era.
Is there such a thing as a modern (might vary by country) gentlemanly art of
self defense? Or has this totally gone by the way side? Fighting has not
stopped, but the gentlemanly art perhaps has. Has society totally passed it
by in the sense that this is no longer needed? OR Is it needed more than
ever as I have heard the statement before that some cultures, where combat
arts are ingrained into the culture are naturally more peaceful as everyone
expects everyone else to be able to fight.
Just some random thoughts and looking forward to the comments,
Rich
Here are some comments I recieved:
"What should a young male of 21 know, and what should he be able to
do? There are no conclusive answers to those questions, but they are
certainly worth asking. A young man should know how this country is run
and how it got that way. He should know the Federalist Papers and de
Tocqueville, and he should know recent world history. If he does not
know what has been tried in the past, he cannot very well avoid those
pitfalls as they come up in the future. A young man should be computer
literate and, moreover, should know Hemingway from James Joyce. He
should know how to drive a car well--such as is not covered in Driver's
Ed. He should know how to fly a light airplane. He should know how to
shoot well. He should know elementary geography, both worldwide and
local. He should have a cursory knowledge of both zoology and botany.
He should know the fundamentals of agriculture and corporate economy.
He should be well qualified in armed combat, boxing, wrestling and
judo, or its equivalent. He should know how to manage a motorcycle. He
should be comfortable in at least one foreign language, more if
appropriate to his background. He should be familiar with remedial
medicine. These things should be accomplished before a son leaves his
father's household."
And a blogger that I respect a lot, Kim Du Toit, adds this:
Here, for those interested, are the things I believe every boy should
know (or have had experience with) before age 21 (with considerable
overlap with the Colonel's list):
a.. Drive a car well, ie. a stick shift;
b.. Know how to handle any gun, and be comfortable with its operation;
c.. Understand basic macro- and microeconomics;
d.. Know the difference between a popular democracy and a
representative republic;
e.. Be able to cook a basic meal (meat, rice/potatoes, vegetables)
from scratch;
f.. Speak at least one foreign language
g.. Understand how to read a map, and be comfortable with basic
orienteering;
h.. Have two years' experience in a trade (any trade, eg. carpenter,
electrician, welder, auto mechanic, plumber);
i.. Play a musical instrument, and have a basic understanding of
music;
j.. Understand basic self-defense/unarmed combat techniques;
k.. Have excellent manners, and know all aspects of social etiquette;
l.. Travel to a foreign country (Mexico and Canada don't count, in the
U.S. circumstance);
m.. Be extremely knowledgeable about history (for the reasons given by
Coop);
n.. Have read at least twenty books in the Western Canon;
o.. Be able to use a computer, especially spreadsheet, word processing
and basic database programs;
p.. Be able to write a cogent, grammatically-correct essay of no less
than 1,000 words in length
q.. Been a member of a social group or club (4H, Boy Scouts, Young
Republicans, whatever) for at least two years
Thought folks might find it interesting.
and from another reply:
To borrow from one of my favorite authors, a condensed list:
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet,
balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take
orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a
new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal,
fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects."
--Robert A. Heinlein