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There is a line in a novel from author G. Michael Hopf that has stuck with me for years. It's a line that holds an uncomfortable truth but a truth just the same. It describes the cyclical nature of the male temperament. As I glass along the landscape of the modern man today, it's not hard to figure out which part of the cycle we're in at the moment.
“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good. times, good times create weak men, and weak men, create hard times.”
We've allowed ourselves to evolve into a generation of men who are weak, overweight, lazy, and down right slobs. We've lost touch with our morals and values. Men have lost touch with the thing that drives them, their "WHY". Men without a purpose will not lead, they will not create, they will not face adversity. Instead, these men will go clock in at a job that they hate, sit in their shitty little cubicle, do just enough work so they can keep their shitty boss off their ass, then they'll go home to their parents basement to play video games and watch porn all night.
This has become a generation of boys trapped in a mans body. A frail, purse clad, weak, male frame. Boys that are forced to assign themselves pronouns, and do fake virtue signaling just so he can score date some crazy vegan chick he met on Tinder, only to be disappointed that she identifies as a gender fluid marsupial.
I hear the analogy constantly that we've raised a generation of snow flakes, where everyone is special, everyone is a winner and gets a trophy. This upbringing then spills over into adulthood. This false sense of entitlement then suddenly comes to the forefront when an entry level job is not paying little Timmy $100K a year like he thinks he deserves. Little Timmy also has no idea how to react in the face of adversity, so he avoids any and all confrontation and thinks that his anxiety is just a disorder. Timmy also grew up sheltered and disconnected with the real world so he has no idea how to talk to women. This means Timmy will settle down in a relationship where his spouse is the dominant figure in the household. This puts Timmy into the hamster wheel of doom. Only when Timmy decides to gain control of his life and take accountability, will he be able to leave that wheel.
Constantly, I hear about how the up and coming generation is a generation of snow flakes. What I never hear though, is what are we going to do about it? How are we going to steer this ship away from the rocks?
The solution (at least in my opinion), is also part of the problem. You see the REAL men in this country, the rough men that do hard things. The masculine men, the ones that lead companies. Strong men with high values and a moral compass that points north. Actual MEN of this nation, well, they see the problem too, but they're too focused. These men are too focused on providing a good life for their families, enjoying hunting, banging their stay at home wife (yeah they still exist), and building this country that they don't feel like arguing about your plastic straws or pronouns. They just don't want any part of it so they keep quiet, or worse, when they do voice a concern, they get hammered by it. So the sentiment becomes, "Y'all can keep your tofu and gluten allergies, I'm just fine over here."
This approach could cause quite the ripple effect for our future. If we want to continue to build the greatest nation to ever exist, we need to be raising farmers, welders, truck drivers, LEADERS. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying women are weak, or can't do these things. What I'm saying is that they shouldn't have to do these things. This post isn't about women, it's about men. It feels as if men have given up hope. I on the other hand believe that there is hope.
I grew up in a somewhat rural part of the midwest. Our house sat on 50 acres, half of it was wooded and the other half was pasture. We were taught at an early age how to use a gun, how to shoot a bow, how to hunt, how to fish, how to process the animals that we hunted, and how to ride a horse. I am so very thankful that we were taught these skills from a young age but I am also very thankful that at a young age we were taught values. Instilled in us were the things that we seem to be missing in today's world. Honesty, integrity, hard work, humility. All of these things are important for us to carry on as a society. Not to sound like an old man but it was a different world back then. We were raised to say "Ma'am" and "Sir". Back then we wouldn't be socially executed for assuming someone's gender. Back then, we were always taught to hold the door for a lady. Now, you get lectured for it. These days, all of these things get you labeled as a "Far right conservative", back then it was just called parenting.
I'm not saying that I long for the good ole days. That's simply not it. We as a society do need to evolve and move forward. What I am saying though, is this country needs a fundamental shift back to reality. As men, we should be doing our part to conserve these skills and values by passing them off to the next generation of men. Frankly, as men, we should be welcoming other men our age who otherwise hasn't been exposed to what being a true man is. Often times, especially with men who have had a similar upbringing as me, we tend to close ourselves off from accepting outsiders into our lifestyle. In fact, we oftentimes poke fun at them. Instead, we should be recruiting. Open up the doors and bring them into our world. There are men out there that have came to the harsh realization that they are trapped in the hamster wheel, and they are desperate to escape. They would love to go on a hunting trip but they've never had anyone to teach them and they are too ashamed to ask for guidance. Invite them, teach them, let them see both sides of the male existence and then they can decide which life they are going to lead.
If we as men of this country can start showing other men that leaning into your masculinity is not going to ruin our country nor is it toxic, I think we have a chance to preserve what is otherwise, a dying breed of man.
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