"You are a ROMANTIC!" was the slack jawed observation with accusatory finger wagging in my general direction. "Yes, yes I am" was my calm reply. You see I find pessimists to be Debbie Downers whose soul sucking is insufficient for the victims of conversation, but somehow manage to make life more frightening for the rest of us with their negativity which ultimately congeals into a semblance of pessimism that quite frankly makes the colors run to dun. Rationalists on the other hand are so convinced in their logic that they are correct and their conclusions so irrefutable that to engage in conversation of anything of interest is to have the dynamic divulge that the rationalist is actually a pedant in disguise fully incapable of recognizing that their "logic" at some point is based upon a premise which just might be wrong. They are tiring, and at the end so much more soul sucking than any Debbie Downer one may ever meet. So that leaves us with the Romantics. And in the model of confession I will admit that I am constraining myself to these three general schools of reality engagement as a matter of convenience. Thus if one finds a specific world view filter unaddressed, just call me a simpleton and move on.
So still here? Excellent. I will be considering the quick notion of why I am a romantic and then move on to other things and if you like you may stay and read my ramblings or otherwise ignore them. You see I do not care. I am a Romantic. And in fact admit right now to give you a romanticized description of the romantic world view. It seems only fair to be consistent as well as transparent for the pedants (I mean rationalists) and Debbie Downer (ahem, pessimists) that may have erred (old/middle english to have wandered) this far in their readings.
A Romantic finds the present day distasteful and believes that "something more" exists, or rather ought to exist. And here is where it gets most interesting even within the Romantic Camp for one must choose--though I often wonder who is the enforcer of the choice and therefore must conclude it to be a natural consequence of the human need to exclude others--between a Romantic of Past or Romantic of Future. Specifically, the Romantic must decide whether the past is 'better' than the present and thus give some historic period a thorough aggrandizement, or fantasize about the possibilities of tomorrow and endeavor to make them real. Starting with the Romantic of the Past, such a romantic is quite aware of the seedier aspects of a past historic period, and chooses to ignore those un-pleasantries whilst simultaneously titrating the best of that period to a richer purer form. This is not to make a mockery of it as some suggest, but rather to reveal the ideals of yesteryear in their full glory by which they may be treasured and carried forward, or rejected as less important than originally considered. This should not be construed that all Romantics of Past remain unaware of darker sides of histories past, rather we are looking to bring forward something of the past that ought to be highly valued in the present, to enrich the current now. As such while the bulk of humanity lusts to destroy any vestige of Chivalry in a call to equanimity and equality, the Romantic of Past recognizes that the human spirit in such a system of life living is stultified. In the interest of egalitarianism we care less about our fellow human being and their condition. We win out something of value at the loss of something of value, and one that some argue as of even greater importance. Time will tell, though I shudder to think of how this present day will be romanticized, but I suspect it can and will be. The notion of chivalry should not be used to conclude that Romantics of Past are merely medieval reenactors. Quite the contrary, Romantics of Past are caught up in Viking Era, Roman, Byzantium, Steam Age, Colonial Era, Civil War, American West, and I am sure there is a list that goes on for some length. These listed merely represent a fraction of which I have become partially aware.
What shall be said of the Romantic of Future. In most instances of which I am aware I can only discern a Romantic of Future as a matter of reading one's epitaph or obituary. You see the Romantic of Future is a subtle creature who latches onto an ideal and let's it form every thought and action of their life. They actively build the better tomorrow by thought, word, and deed in the present now. They wear the guises of Captains of Industry, Workers of Charity, Champions of Ideals, and thus more easily recognized for the guise and rarely for the motivation.
Now my darkest confession is now rendered due. I am both a Romantic of Past and a Romantic of Future. I engage in rediscovery of the past wholeheartedly admitting that I ignore various negative aspects of history beyond understanding how the ideals of that historic epic arose. It is my belief that the negatives of a time result in responses that are provide contemporary relief and give rise to the abuses and challenges to which the next reaction is made. But some ideals transcend the temporal moment in which they arise, and are a lasting net positive to all future generations. These we need to ferret out from their dusty hiding places, clean up, a represent to the ourselves, our peers, and future generations. It is in this light that Chivalry is a "net benefit" to present and future generations. If it leads to sexism and rationalization for "us vs them" behaviors then it is will be a net negative influence upon the present and future. (Surprised are you? Romantics are quite rational even when you disagree with their behaviors and conclusions.)
This is to say, I hold very dearly to a specific world view that I maintain and pray will infect every aspect of my live-a-day life. In some contexts it will be imminently apparent what that world view is, and in other contexts it will be less so. And if done properly, the less so moments will leave some people wondering "why" I did what I did. More importantly I succeed when this question arises from a sense of wonder at how an unusual behavior benefited that person. It is of course a failure if I have injured that person and left them wondering what daft moment left me incapable of taking the proper medications that morning resulting in such irrational behavior. Sadly, they do happen and far more often than I care to admit.
So where are we going with all of this nonsense. I really do not know. What I do know is that this blog is intended to embrace, celebrate, and share various aspects of my Romantic of Future and Romantic of Past natures. I suspect that the Romantic of Past will be more transparent to the dear reader, but deep at its heart, I hope that by working to bring ideals of the past forward, you may get a brief hint and come to embrace my deepest ideal as your own. So enough jibber-jabber, how about we get to our first "Romantic of Past" project, shall we?
