“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” – Ernest Hemingway
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines being noble as “possessing very high or excellent qualities or properties,” and, to be honest, I was hoping for something more grandiose or inspiring. I would have even settled for something even remotely clear. “Excellent qualities or properties?” What are these “excellent qualities” they speak of? How does a quality become excellent? Does society decide what qualities should be excellent and whoever seems to reciprocate these are all of a sudden deemed noble?
Right, so I’m going to attempt to help clear up just what it means to be noble, and why it is so important to a Gentleman’s character. To me, nobility can best be described as a conscious effort to do what is right and just regardless of circumstance, emotion, or outside pressure.
So let’s break that down:
- Being noble requires a conscious effort. One of the reasons you don’t see many Gentlemen running around is because it isn’t easy. Being a Gentleman requires continuous effort and dedication; it does not come naturally.
- Being noble means doing what is right. Don’t be rude, don’t be inconsiderate, don’t lie, you know the list. This part should be pretty simple, not necessarily easy, but simple.
- Being noble means doing what is right regardless of circumstance, emotion, or outside pressure. This, to me, is the hardest part of nobility. Every day we are bombarded with things out of our control; maybe you weren’t able to eat breakfast one morning, or the bus wasn’t on time so you were late to work, or your hot water isn’t working so you had to take a cold shower. Point is, life happens. However, as a Gentleman, nothing can compromise our nobility.
We are the few men in this world who have chosen to stand for something greater than ourselves, to be an example to the rest of the world as to how a true man should act, to look modern culture in the eye and say “You are wrong,” but if we act unjustly, if we do not fervently strive to uphold that which we declare makes a Gentleman, than we are no better than the people we are trying to be a beacon of hope for, and the world will spit us out.
Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t perfect, and that’s okay. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be. The whole point of being a Gentleman is living with excellence, and that leaves little room for error, especially when those around you begin to expect excellence from you; which, if your living correctly, they will begin to expect more from you than they will from themselves.
This is why living nobly is so important. People will take notice of noble actions, and they will hold you in high esteem. Judging your character, they will see the fruits of your actions in your life, and, hopefully, strive to create the same fruit. Inspiring excellence in others, that is what we do.
So, here is my call to action, my line in the sand. For the modern Gentlemen, those of you who wish to redefine what it means to be a man, those of you who wish to stand by me even when the world tells us that it is of no use, l plead with you: live Nobly.
“A noble purpose inspires sacrifice, stimulates innovation, and encourages perseverance.” – Gary Hamel.
The Modern Gentleman 