What it means to be a man is a question that’s been butchered over the course of generations. The real question men should ask is what is the raison d’etre of men? The ideas are almost always garbage and if you choose to listen to them, you find out the hard way just how terrible they are. The psychological warfare done on men and boys today is so utterly successful that few even reach the question at all.
Hell, I didn’t. The first question I remember having as a teenager was, “how can I be normal?” I felt something was wrong. I just wanted to get back the mediocre baseline. Many today aren’t even there. Our youth are reporting gender confusion on a level mankind hasn’t seen before. What they’ve done not just to boys, but girls is insidious. You’ve got so many questioning whether or not they were born in the right body.
I didn’t have it that bad. All I needed was the right masculine mentor. How to become normal turned to how to be a good man. Jack Donovan’s The Way of Men however, made me realize it wasn’t about becoming a good man, but being good at being a man. This is where the question what it means to be a man took hold. After some contemplation I wanted to dig deeper. What is the nature of men? What is their raison d’etre?
Show Your Devotion
What I like from Jack Donovan’s writing is he breaks down what masculinity looked like at the beginning. He speaks of the gang or small tribe protecting the perimeter and the virtues the men of the gang would need in order to be of use.
Trying to determine the nature of men takes it a step further. What most fail to realize is that being a man is ingrained in our blood, our very DNA. The best way to access this information is through physical culture. Getting in a fight—through martial arts and such—is an excellent way to unlock what’s in the blood. You won’t get all the answers right away, but if you show your devotion, the gods will reward you.
Lifting weights too provided me similar answers. Pushing against resistance is the way to truth. But again, you must show your devotion in order to receive the wisdom of the gods. It’s not even just to read about the nature of men, you must live it the best you can.
The Nature of Men
Biology has already showed us the difference between the sexes. This is indisputable no matter how loud the feminist LBGT crowd yells. Men are on average stronger, more built for battle then females. It’s not to say men are better, but that the sexes are compliments not meant to be compared. We make each other stronger.
I’m not a woman and I don’t care enough to do the research, but someone should. This is about the nature of men. The nature of men in that we’re expendable. Women in nature are worth more than men because of their ability to reproduce. A man’s place in nature is that of the R&D arm of mankind. He’s his own man out to test his idea against nature. His idea either succeeds or he dies out.
Tribes of humans can afford to lose males. They can’t afford to lose their baby makers. The ones who actually in sure the continuity of the tribe. This is why men fight the wars. This is why men wander off into the unknown.
Sacrifice is sacred to men. Even in this degenerate culture, when you see manly sacrifice—it strikes a primordial chord. Men instinctively know in the blood that it’s more important to die well than live long. There’s glory in sacrifice. There’s no glory in living a long time. If you ever watched the movie Gladiator, the character Proximo states this sentiment perfectly:
“Ultimately, we're all dead men. Sadly, we cannot choose how, but what we can decide is how we meet that end—in order that we are remembered—as men.” ~Proximo, Gladiator
That said, the last thing men want to think of themselves as expendable. It’s a depressing outlook. A glorious sacrifice is honorable and even sought after, but this isn’t the raison d’etre of men.
The Raison D’Etre of Men
The Raison D’Etre—the justification of existence—of men is the sought after “meaning to life.” There’s honor and glory in sacrificing yourself for some greater cause. It’s always better to die well then die old, but that’s not what men set out to do. Men don’t set out to die. It’s something that’s just going to happen.
The Raison D’Etre of Men is to leave their mark on the world. The is why we remember great men and heroes. Very few names are remembered throughout history. To have your name remembered means you became master of your domain. It means you turned the wheel of mankind.
A great man and hero is not a good man. He’s human like the rest of us. The ancient men who told his tale weren’t the progressive scum of the earth we have now that demand complete and perfect morality. Heracles had a short temper and that short temper got him into trouble often, but he also sought redemption for his mistakes. We remember him, despite his flaws, as the world’s first hero. He made the world safe for mankind by killing monsters.
Heracles turned the wheel of mankind. He discovered sea ways and cleared the path for exploration. His contributions far outweighed his faults. You remember the greatness in hopes that it will inspire the next great hero.
The Raison D’Etre of Men is to go out into the unknown, master space, and leave our mark on the world. This is what is meant by legacy. If you cannot do this, you owe it to your bloodline to have sons and to teach them what you know so that they may have a better chance at doing what you could not. It’s not all about you. You have a direct bloodline to the beginning of mankind. Don’t disappoint your ancestors.
This reminded me of quote by Heraclitus: "The best prefer one thing, immortal fame, to all mortal things; but the multitude is satisfied with gorging themselves like cattle."
Great piece.
Another great piece, thank you. A related idea I've been toying with is how there's a survivorship bias amongst our geriatric men. The men that live long lives are those that likely have missed their opportunity at a sacrificial death - and perhaps there's a sense of guilt or regret associated to that. In a noble society, these older men use this pain as an opportunity to teach young men; in a corrupt society, these older men continue to selfishly cling to life bitterly. This corruption is certainly evident with boomers and the continued increase in the age of our elected 'leaders'.