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The Real Man Right Where He Belongs

Society has established specific requisites and norms for the male gender's cultural role. Will Meek outlines the rules to masculinity in his study of the psychology and expected psychology of the male population. Among all manly thought process, our expected male ideology is to strive for dominance and succumb to our more primitive thought patterns and traits.

Meek notes the need for men to be the only, purely dominant leaders and to "stay in control." At first I might write even this off as primitive. I make the conclusion on that point that we are then primates. It is entirely natural for men to be most comfortable in their dominance. Masculinity, by tradition, has been defined as the ability to stand as the protector and provider.

There are plenty of debates on the "nature and nurture of gender roles." Plenty of humans want to argue whether it's okay for the woman, the nurturing wife, to be the primary money-earner. Most that are aligned with tradition will take that argument to their deathbed with the firm stance that men should financially dominate and fully support the family.

Categorizing males all too specifically, Meek differentiates between "biological sexual or personality traits and complete cultural constructions." We must be aware of the clear asymmetries between that which is found naturally in the male and what is formed out of smoke by some opinionated group of humans. What we cling to and follow are the offspring of our twisted surroundings. We are expected to hide feelings, be purely dominant, self reliant, unfeeling animals forever lusting after sex and greater achievement. The real man does not need to become a disciple of the man-cult of our culture. Hypothetically, the real man focuses on primal instincts of protecting and providing for his family. He would still be comfortable with his feelings, and not necessarily strive to constantly be dominant, a fight I often have with my sibling and father that usually ends negatively.

I often think about what life will be like as a father. I think about how I will raise whatever children I have, and how my parents have shaped my opinions and led me in such a way that I will one day feel capable to lead. I've resolved to not succumb to the man-cult driven by society, but rather to forge my own perspective and not shove it down everyone else's throat.

Masculinity may never again be what it initiated as. Our society has warped and molded the minds of children and struggling adults alike to the point that now those who can be considered truly masculine have become a minority. We will reach a day when Christianity, the best guide to fatherhood, will almost completely disappear. At this point, men may cease to exist and be replaced by feminine wannabes in an exponential plummet of true masculinity unto oblivion.

http://www.psychologyofmen.org/index.php?itemid=6