There’s an attack on the nuclear family in this country, with the biggest culprit being a lack of masculinity in our men. Just look around.
Some are wearing makeup, some are MIA, and believe it or not, some men have even become so feminine that they’re now giving birth. YIKES!
More and more kids are growing up without a masculine father figure in their lives and it shows. Building character is considered urban legend at this point, and standing up to bullies only seems to count when it's done anonymously behind a computer screen. Anything face-to-face is “problematic” (or so we’ve been told), and our so-called "experts" proclaim toxic masculinity needs to be rooted from American society altogether.
Well, just like 99% of the time, the experts are wrong. Shocker. Our culture actually needs more masculine men - more guys who are willing to step it up!
Masculinity, in my opinion, is a choice every man must make at some point in their life. It’s a personal decision. One that possess three things:
(1) Character
(2) Extreme ownership
(3) And a relationship with God.
I’ll say that again, choosing to be masculine is a choice that men must make themselves. But it’s not just a one-and-done type thing that men promise to implement in their lives then - POOF! - all is well. No, actually, it’s a decision that has to be made every single day. Moment for moment. And it’s very, very hard.
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Character - The first piece of the equation is character. Which is a word that is practically extinct by today’s mainstream standards. As referenced in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, America’s first 150 years of literature used to almost always focus on the concept of Character Ethics as a foundation for success. This consists of things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule.
“The Character Ethic taught that there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate those principles into their basic character.”
These traits relate to masculinity because they each require sacrifice. Not to mention they infer putting others first by their nature, which is an attribute required for any head of household.
Extreme ownership - Put simply, our culture’s victim mentality and lack of personal responsibility is dangerous. By not taking any ownership, our men let themselves off the hook far too easily nowadays, which only leads to even poorer performances down the road. If a man cannot even take responsibility for his own actions, how could someone possibly expect him to take ownership of his family one day? Not possible!
“Where we are today is a result of all the decisions we’ve made in our lives up till now.”
A relationship with God - Real masculine men put God first. They are able to look beyond their wants and desires and humble themselves in pursuit of the life God has in store for them and their families. Heck, God is where all of their true strength comes from. Masculine men realize that by putting God above all else, the rest will always fall into place just like it's supposed to (Matthew 10:38-39).
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Many of today’s macho men are actually fraidy cats when it comes to standing up for what’s right in life (I’m looking at you John China). The men that really stand out over time are the ones who put their family first, follow God, and follow Truth even when it's unpopular.
What’s fascinating about these types of men is that they weren’t simply born the way they are. They had to work hard for it, and they’re striving to be better day by day. Just take an in-depth look into the lives of our nation’s founding fathers and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Nothing of greatness came about overnight!
At the end of the day, women want a man that ain’t no sissy boy (despite what some might say), and most Americans want leaders who actually have a backbone and a sense of character.
One last thing, men need to realize that over the years women have been turning to the government to replace the father figure role in their kid’s lives more than ever before. This is not good, and it’s happening because these women aren’t confident in their man being able to support a family. Let alone raise a child. Because of this belief, some women are eliminating masculinity in their kid’s life from the very beginning. These women don’t think they need men anymore, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
All this needs to change if we want to see our society flourish, and it all begins when men start stepping up more and taking ownership for their decisions and the consequences that come from them.
It’s time to make men manly again!