Commentary

What It Takes To Be A Man

Isn’t what it used to be

I’ve known a lot of good men throughout my life. Strong men. Honorable men. Many of them were my coaches, my mentors, my teachers. Some were business leaders. Others were in the church. I even had a handful in my family.

This might be a picture of my high school football coach. He was a real man. You might not know his name. But I did and so did everyone in my town. (Source: Audioblocks.com)

Coming to know these more than capable men, I can say with certainty that none of them have ever whined and complained as much as some of the “men” we have running around the country and inside of the halls of power. Not one of these strong men in my memory would endlessly gripe about how the world, the media and critics were just so unfair to them in so many ways. Not one.

Neither would these individuals suggest the measure of a man is how much they can take or how much pain they can inflict upon others. They would always protect those who needed protection. They would fight for people who couldn’t.

Some of them served in uniform. Some fought in wars. While they would never shy away from violence when necessary, they never sought it out. I never saw them laugh at violence being committed, no matter who was the victim of it.

They certainly didn’t require attention for themselves all the f%^&ing time. More often than not they were quiet, uninterested in seeking credit, recognition or fame. They were more interested in doing their job, and doing it well.

They had principles and they wouldn’t stray from them for anything. They had character. They had good manners. Remember those?

They treated women with respect. They were tough, but fair. They were awesome and now, for the most part, they’re gone. At least gone from places where a man might truly make a difference.

It seems real men have been replaced by marketing and reality stars. They’ve been coopted by people who are commercials without a product. They’ve been lost in the noise of podcasts and alternative media.

This could be my friend Todd, who died while serving his country. He’s a man. But nowadays it seems, “it depends.” (Source: Audioblocks.com)

I hope from the ashes we see before us, the remnants of whatever lies ahead, I hope they return. Because by God we need them. For my part I’m gonna try and emulate those men. It’s one thing I can see worth doing.

The best of these men, I will never be. But I will be better than any self described Alpha Male out there. If only because what I learned growing up is that a real man would never tell you or even suggest they were “Alpha”. They didn’t have to.

[embed]Snip, Snip, I’m Out! How I Ended My Championship Career in Procreationmedium.com