With the psychic fabric of our daily living being tugged at in every way tolerable, financially, politically, and spiritually, there is nothing that demands of us to surrender our sense of class, and decorum.

2010 may well be the year to bring back some semblance of courtesy and class.

In reading through the comments that have been left at this Blogroom since we launched this project in July, I could not help but notice that we have been privileged to attract some very literate and classy commentators.

I mentioned that observation to a few neighbors, family and friends, and they in turn asked me what I meant by a, “sense of class.”

The first thing that came to mind, was a couple of lines out of the movie, ” No Place For Old Men,” when the one retired law enforcement dude says to Tommy Lee Jones, “it all fell apart when we stopped sayin’ yes mam, and yes sir.”

I work on the Old Pueblo Trolley on the weekends and we attract a large number of young men and women in the Armed Forces. They come to town from Fort Huachuca and Davis Monthan for some weekend leisure on the Avenue. It is noticed by all the riders how courteous these young soldiers, airmen and women, and Marines are in their language and demeanor. (I wished I could have said the same about ourselves when we were on liberty from Camp Pendleton!)

They are pretty classy kids. Is it possible that a sense of class is circling back on us to take the place of a decade or so of Simpson’s like languaging and in your face talk radio dialect? Pray tell what the village would be like with common courtesy taking a priority in all our conversations. Could the House and the Senate survive?

So what is a sense of class?

Here is a collage of ideas and impressions of what a sense of class may entail. Some of these are from notes I made for my children twenty years ago. I believe a few may have come from an author, Paul Fussell, a decorated WWll veteran and professor of literature.

Generally speaking, class implies an integrity, compassion and a sense of fairness in manner and speech. A generosity of spirit in conduct. A very individualized congruity with what you say and what you do. A bit different than style, class is somewhat more all encompassing of the person.

The traits of our new 21st Century classy American could be some of the following; lack of hostility, controlled ambition, a disdain for complaining, a tendency toward good luck. A polite consideration of the talents and limits of others. Knowing where you are going. A willingness to let time measure your performance rather then a strident meritorious selling of the self.

A quiet pursuit of excellence. An abhorrence of pretentiousness. Understanding and using the beauty of understatement. Seldom in doubt about the right thing to do. Caring about what is eternal, not just the encore mentality of a programmed consumer.

Not saying what you feel all the time. Not being intimidated by authority. Living without compromise to a set of standards. And going through adversity, like the last decade, without dipping to incessant cynicism.

And last, to be able to live your life without the props of money and status and position, and still maintain your sense of humility in a life that is really quite short.

I am 62 years old. I hope I can pull off a few of these as the trail narrows.