The Gentleman's Code of Connection

"For the better part of five years, I've been going to a shooting retreat in the foothills near Yosemite to improve my skills and have a bit of fun. These retreats or camps have themes and one overarching theme-proper club attire. Each year (or time I go), the theme changes. One year it was steel-target shooting, another was "Cowboy Action," the next "turn-of-the-century gangsters." While some folks come and go, for the past three years, the same group of men (and a few women) has shown up."

"The reason? This particular camp has a gentleman's dress code. You must wear a waistcoat, tie, and collared shirt or period-specific attire. The other rule is that dress should match the era: cowboy for cowboy shooting, gangster for the early 1900s, revolutionary soldier for the War of Independence. The point isn't vanity-it's mindset. The clothes, the rituals, and the roles help you step outside daily life-to learn, compete, and, for one weekend, unburden yourself from the shackles of your "this-could-have-been-an-email" corporate existence fueled with way too much caffeine."

"What I find most rewarding is the banter across generations. At nearly every retreat, there are at least three-Gen X through Gen Z-and if you count the host's family, sometimes five (Boomer through Gen Alpha). That kind of span is rare, yet the shared interest in history, firearms, movies, video games, and craftsmanship makes it work. We talk about every kind of movie, the history of video games, and even politics. It reminds me of the old days when men gathered in parlors to debate the news and challenge each other's ideas-something sorely missing in our culture today. That sense of civility"

For the better part of five years, I have attended a themed shooting retreat in the foothills near Yosemite to improve skills and enjoy recreation. Retreats change themes each year, including steel-target shooting, Cowboy Action, and turn-of-the-century gangsters. The camp enforces a gentleman's dress code requiring waistcoats, ties, collared shirts, or period-specific attire matching the era. The clothing and rituals encourage a mindset shift that helps participants step outside daily life to learn, compete, and temporarily escape corporate routines. The retreats bring multiple generations together, fostering banter, shared interests in history, firearms, media, craftsmanship, and civil conversation.

Read at Psychology Today