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RE: Pistols at Dawn - a deadly duel in NZ history
A fascinating read @ravenruis If duelling (with pistols) were a way with dealing with disputes these days, you'd like to think that disputes would get settled well before the alarm went off at the crack of dawn wouldn't you? The one punch retaliation and road rage (and ever other kind of rage) phenomenon that inflicts our modern society today is just another method of duelling without the benefit of sleeping on the problem first. I was interested to see pictures of Sydney Street in Wellington as it was back then. Great research. Resteeming. And have a great day.
Thank you, Trudee. :)
I tried to find a picture closer to the 1840s but that one was earliest I could manage. I love seeing the 'then' photos.
I think your observation is spot-on. I read a book, which if I remember correctly was by Gerald Durrell, who observed that (men) playing sports was the current form of their 'hunting & gathering' inclinations. Which I could very well believe, too. I wonder what he would have said on the subject of duelling vs. today's outlets. :)
It is an interesting subject @ravenruis Fighting for one's honour (or the honour of someone dear to you) was and is, an act of great chivalry but is it really worth loosing your life over? I'm not talking about war and fighting for your country. I'm referring to personal issues. The odds of being shot and killed were pretty high when duelling was the chosen method of settling a score with an adversary. Pride (mixed with gallantry) cometh before a fall, when a woman's honour was fought for but if her hero died in the process, he made it very difficult for her to show her appreciation didn't he? Intervening in a situation where a life is in danger is another thing altogether. I couldn't stand by and watch that happen and I have found myself in a very precarious position when put to the test a few years ago.
Blimey, that must have been an awful situation to be in.
I think that we (as a society) have a martyr complex, in that if someone martyrs themselves in an act of supposed heroism then that somehow still gives them one-up against their opponent. I agree that it is simply a wasted loss of life, and an act of 'ego'.
The scary thing about the situation I found myself in @ravenruis was that I had no fear when confronting a very angry guy beating another one to a pulp. Luckily the victim got away whilst the attacker concentrated his efforts on me. 🤨 I was reasonably safe in my car but the window was wound down with the abusers face and fist uncomfortably close to mine.
I can’t think of a positive thing to say about ego........and true heroes are hard to find. Or are the good stories all too often smothered by the dramatic ones by the media in favour of the attention grabbing ones?
I suspect it is a case of the media running with something they can sensationalise, much of the time - but we have become a cynical world, too.
Very true @ravenruis The older I get, the more cynical I am inclined to be and I need to keep that in check because overall.......there is much to appreciate all around us if we have the right attitude. Have a superb day. 😊