Manly Thinking

     In the last 30 years or so, it has been en vogue to teach men that acting like a man is wrong. They've been taught that the problem with men is that they need to be more like women. They're told that the man who shows his emotions is the real man. And that the more you act like a woman, the manlier you are.

     These days it is totally acceptable for a man to get emotional like a woman. Not only that, men will engage in emotional reasoning and not even care that they're being irrational. For those unaware, emotional reasoning is when you think that what you feel must be true regardless of evidence. This typically considered a female tendency. Even so, I consider this behavior unseemly in women as well as men. But apparently I'm in the minority. Now apparently this behavior is acceptable, not just for women, but for men as well.

     Gentlemen, this ought not be. As men, being less emotional and more analytical is a strength, not a weakness. You could make a good case that being a little more emotional serves women because they have a more hands on role in raising children. But men are protectors and providers. In that role, emotions will will screw you. Emotions cloud your ability to see things as they really are, which clouds your ability to make decisions. Which in turn undermines your ability to provide and protect.

     Imagine this, after catching a late movie, you and your significant other are walking to your car. When all of a sudden a masked man steps out of the shadows, with a knife in hand and demands your money. If you act as modern Western culture has taught  you to act, you will get completely emotional. You'll plead with the assailant asking irrelevant questions like, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS???" Maybe you'll completely lose control and fall to the ground weeping uncontrollably. Maybe you'll also pee on yourself a little.

     None of this will help your situation. If however, you have resisted the onslaught of feminization, you'll realize that you only have a few options. You can comply, fight, run away or scream for help. Now I'm not going to tell what you should do, other than to say that manliness does not mean that you are forced to fight. You can't win every battle and being good at being a man demands that you be able to judge when you can win and when you can't. Sometimes you may have to engage in a fight that you can't win, but most unwinnable fights should be avoided.

      Don't mistake what I'm saying. I'm not saying tat you have to be a completely emotionless automaton. Love your wife, children and family. Laugh with your friends. But when it comes to evaluating a situation and taking action, use logic and reason.

     That's it for today. Check back in a few days for a new post.