In honor of International Talk Like A Pirate Day, annually celebrated on September 19, I thought I'd take a moment to explore why it is that we love pirates so much. Well, maybe we don't all love pirates, but I know I sure do! And certainly don't mind being one for the day.
First order of business was, of course to find out my pirate name and corresponding piratical nature, which were surprisingly fairly accurate.
My pirate name is:
Iron Bess Bonney
A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!
Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.part of the fidius.org network
1) Forbidden. These are the bad boys that Mama warned you to stay away from (yeah, right, like that's gonna happen). That just makes them all the more alluring as you try to find out why. What have they done to gain that status? and then the next appealing trait surfaces....they become...mysterious...
2) Mysterious and Exotic. Aren't we typically drawn to something we don't understand? Because we see in it an opportunity to learn something, to see life thru a different lens, to learn a little more about ourselves and to live a little, outside our normal day to day box....and why would we do that?
3) Adventure: Of course! No one said, ever, "You know, Doctor, I've always dreamed of living a boring life where nothing interesting or unexpected ever happens. The idea of sameness and predictability all the time, is my most fervent wish." And if they did, we'd google the name of the good doctor to set them straight. These guys (and gals) grab life by the coconuts with an iron grip and swing on the riggings of their own imaginations. They are limited by nothing but their own courage to step into the unknown. We like that. We wish we did that more. We admire them, because we are a little afraid of them. And we sigh, wishing we could follow suit.
4) Liberated, Decisive and Confident: They are not bogged down by mundane concerns of responsibilities, mortgages, bills and conducting themselves with decorum. Bah! They flaunt decorum and live by their own rules. If someone makes you angry at the PTA meeting, you certainly don't have to smile and work it out with little Bobby, the terror's, delusional mother, thru the next 12 months of school band fundraisers. You'd maroon both their petulant, bratty butts on the nearest deserted island and thank them to stay off your ship and out of your waters in the future. And that's if you're the sort of pirate with a heart.
Simply put, they don't put up with any shit. None of this lamenting "Oh, I want to do this, but what if it upsets so and so, maybe it's better if I just do what makes them happy. It's not all that important to me, anyway, right?" Of course it is! They'd swab the deck with us if they heard us boo-hooing about our indecision. "Quit lettin' the guilt o' others be decidin' for ye, the things yer own heart should be mindin' fer itself!" is what they'd tell us. And then they'd give us a swift shove with their sword a bit further out onto the gangplank. Unless, of course we managed to somehow retrieve our misplaced self-confidence from the inside of our boots where, incidentally, we'd been busy stomping all over it ourselves in our futile attempts to appease others. They can do things we fear we can't. They can live. And they do it on their terms. "But, wait," we say. "I want to really live, too, not just exist." Which bring us to....
5) Authenticity of Self: They know who they are. They know what they want. They make no apologies or excuses to anyone or themselves. And do not feel the need to fit into anyone else's definition. Sure, sometimes their actions won't win them the Nobel Peace Prize, but hey, they're not out to impress anyone. They're just trying to be true themselves. They are being the best version of themselves that they know how to be. That's the thing that probably excites us the most. In all of our years of being told to be "Be nice. Get along. Let someone else go first", we've forgotten how to honor ourselves, and to take our rightful place at the helm as Captain of our own life.
It may not be sustainable to live this way all time - we do have to, after all, exist within the confines of polite society, so, some small compromises may be necessary on occasion without giving up the essence of self. Lest we find ourselves in the brig, that is, for bad behavior. But, certainly, at least one day out of the year, perhaps on September 19, it may just do our black hearts a spot of good to join with them for a pint o' rum or grog and sing a little celebration song in a toast to ourselves.
If we run our own ship aground, well, yeah, it may be splintered, we may need to do repairs, or abandon the course entirely and set out on a new one, but so be it. It's our damn ship to do with what we please. If we want to change its course and point it to a new horizon that offers greater hope and promise, we should be allowed to do that, too. We are the only ones that hold the key to that permission treasure chest. We are, after all the Captain, and the Captain always has the final word. That's the lesson our pirate brothers and sisters have to teach us.
Yeah.... I think I wanna be a pirate....at least, for today....
Hey, you, Scurvy Dog, over there! Fetch me a pint, would ya?
Mysterious and exotic are definitely great traits, as is adventure, and worth living out. Pirates get to have all the fun, but being one for a day is certainly something we can all do! How was your pint?
ReplyDeleteAye, 'twas a mighty fine ale, Matey, from a wee brewery near the Creek of Oak where we spent many a merry hours pillaging, frolicking and well...ye get me meanin' ...but alas, me mug is yet again empty....what's a lass to do? Me pirating days are hardly over or limited to just one....Tis always All Hallow's Eve, 'spose. I reckon, that's the wind I hear callin' me.....
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