The League of Gentlemen Adventurers

In the days of yore, it seems like you couldn’t be defined as a true gentleman adventurer without killing somebody – and preferably several somebodies.  In 1899 (which firmly qualifies as yore), The New York Times published an article entitled, “The Gentleman Adventurer in Letters,” which discussed fictional characters inspired by the LGA.  The article explained:

In all ages the gentleman adventurer has played a most important part, and even such sacred wars as the Crusades would not have come to much without his aid.  The Spanish Armada was largely manned by the representatives of this type of humanity, and the flag of Sir Francis Drake could not have flown as a gonfalon of terror in the West Indies without him.

Fortunately for us, the original rules and bylaws of the LGA which defined a gentleman adventurer were lost long, long ago, meaning that we can pretty much make up whatever definition we want.

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Quam Bene Vivas Refert, Non Quam Diu

We say this at the end of every meeting of The League of Gentlemen Adventurers, so I thought I might explain why we say it, and how we came by it.  This latin phrase is our official League motto & toast.  We, the San Diego Chapter, learned the toast from Cap’n John, the gentleman who inducted us into the League in the late 1990s.  Cap’n John said that he learned it from the gent who inducted him when he was a young man; Cap’n John (who had a penchant for making extravagant claims) asserted on numerous occasions that the League and its motto went back many hundreds of years.

The latin “Quam bene vivas refert, non quam diu” translates as, “It is how well you live that matters, not how long,” a sentiment that lies at the heart of the mission of our League.  We encourge gentlemen and gentlelady adventurers everywhere to raise a glass, speak the motto, and take it to heart.  It is truly a sentiment to live by.

In which the Gents discuss the benefits and drawbacks of approaching things, and life in general, in a slapdash manner.

On the Agenda:

1. Opening Toast, by Mr. Lee Dunteman
2. Open Discussion on the subject of, “Slapdashery.”
3. Profiles in Adventure: Hunter S. Thompson at the Kentucky Derby
4. Closing Toast, led by Mr. Andy Trimlett

 

 Standard Podcast [42:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (428)

Perhaps the most important part of any good social blunder is the recovery. To that end, my advice to you Gentlemen Adventurers, is to always be first to the joke. Now, some blunders are so big there really is no recovery from them, all you can hope for is to minimize the damage and get out of the area as quickly as possible. However, when your blunder is something simple such as a spilled drink, stumbling over your own words, or really anything that has a good chance of allowing someone to make you the butt of a (more than likely) inappropriate joke, simply make the joke first. At that point, anyone else doing so will simply seem like a bully at worst or a follower at best. Yes, people will still be laughing at you, but they’ll be doing so in admiration of your joke, rather than your ineptitude… or maybe for both.

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