Maggie's Farm

Cool picture, and good point that things are worth dying for, that are far more important than our sinful selves. BUT: you can't be serious about duelling!! It was a barbarous practice, testosterone run amuck. Let masculinity be useful in the bedroom, the boardroom, out hunting, and tamed in church. But duelling did not keep jerks in check, it left men maimed or dead or trivial points of honor. Remember that most men still feel it diminishes them if someone cuts in front of them in traffic, if a woman tells them to do something, or someone looks at their female. Are we go back to the vicious nonsense of killing over such stuff? I suppose you think that John Wayne, avoider of military service like so many conservative symbols, was a true man too?

Honestly, Lady Doctor, you already must see too much out of control male vainglory in your practice to have any real love of duelling...

Of course the pistols are nice. Get yourself a nice set and gloat over them, but don't romanticize what people used them for...

And of course some things are worth dying for. Even the most selfish and wimpy jerk of a woman knows that and accepts that when she decides to have a baby. Just as our brave soldiers in Iraq do when they serve there.

Personal honor too frequently gets confused with narcissism for me to consider it an acceptable grounds for attempted homicide.

Male animals, at least the sensible ones, work out a dominance hierarchy or sensibly stay away from each other, after snarls and perhaps an initial vicious fight. This does lead to peace thereafter. Presumably, this is the science behind your call. Only male animals do not use pistols, so it seems fairer.

We females, I sadly confess, remain viciously competitiive and in strife with each other forever. An act of God or regular church attendance can sometimes tame and humble us. Not much else can.

Agree. We leave in a culture that won't allow us to stand up for ourselves. When I was a scrawny geeky girl child and got surronded by bullies I punched and kicked and hollered loudly enogh to drive them off for good. When my son is tormented on the bus by a guy saying lewd things about his sisters, he begs me "Mom, can't I teach him a lesson and punch his lights out?". And I have to say that I want to too but that he will be the one penalized if he does. Then I give him the kind of classically devious advice girls were given when I was young (that I rejected myself) and tell him to walk close to the teacher so the tormenter's foul mouth will be heard. Grrrrr