The New Old Era of Man

All of man’s work is bloody business. That fact, today, is considered foolish, affairs are finished cleverly with words alone, and jobs that require effort are avoided. I would like young men to have some understanding of this.

Hagakure

In the history of mankind, it was the norm for men to settle differences with their fists. You had a problem with someone…you took it outside. In the schoolyard when I was growing up, outside of a saloon in the old west, and before we evolved into humans we lived outside all the time, and all differences were settled by the toughest monkey on the tree.

I know fists are a bad thing, right? We’ve grown out of that. Gotten much smarter…as a society. You think I should renounce violence. You want me to cheer when a man shows vulnerability. Shows sensitivity. When a man cries.

Well guess what? F that.

I want it to be a man’s time again. A man’s world. When brute strength wins out. And it’s about to be. For me at least. I’ve built strength and I’m going to use it. It should be for you too.

This isn’t just for men. This isn’t about your sex. I don’t think of women as anything less. Or weaker in any way. I married a very strong woman. It’s one of the things I love about her the most. She’s tough as nails. I’d put her up against the toughest person you know.

Women can man-up too.

As far as eras go, this one sucks to be a man. Sensitivity is not only encouraged, not only applauded, it’s become some necessary quality of every ‘man’.

That’s how I was brought up. To show emotion, to be sensitive. We talked about our feelings. Aired our grievances with words. Tried to use soft skills to give constructive criticism as opposed to screaming it with an obscenity-laced tirade. It was like growing up in a human resources department.

I can’t fault my parents. They were doing what was on the cutting edge of society. They were just earlier than most. And this grew like a weed. Every kid wins a ribbon after a race now, even if they finish dead last. Men cry in every heartfelt movie, both on screen and in the audience.

We’re all trying to go against the grain on thousands of years of primal feelings towards a trend that’s been around for less than 30. Being violent is natural. So I battle myself. Laid on top of these raw feelings of rage and anger and manliness…are these soft and warm fuzzy skills. And people are trying to tell me that soft is right. Says who? I’m smart enough to know what’s right and wrong on my own.

There are times when people need a punch in the mouth. Or two.

And I’m not going against the grain anymore.

Now, this isn’t about who can be the most violent. A coward can fire a gun and kill someone…all you need to be is psychotic. And it’s equally psychotic to beat a man into oblivion. But it takes a man to punch another man in the face. Literally or figuratively. And it takes a man to take a punch. Literally or figuratively. You should be able to do both.

‘All of man’s work is bloody business.’ You know…I think that’s right. You want to make your mark in this world, you are going to have to get a little blood on your clothes. Some of theirs. Some of yours. I love the fact that hundreds of years ago, this guy thought the samurai were going soft. I wonder what he would think if he came back to life today. He’d probably laugh his way all the way to a UFC title.

Oh, your life’s not that great? Stop being a p*ssy and go do something about it. You want something, but someone’s in your way? Run him over. Go get it. Be a man. Get what’s yours. Take whatever you want.