05 March 2010

What does is mean to be a man?

Over at the Creative Minority Report, Matthew has an excellent post on true and authentic masculinity. Here is just a sampling:

A real man is not emasculated ninny.

Neither is a real man a testosterone infused sack of passions.

A real man is this -> a man who desperately seeks to follow in the footsteps of THE MAN.

He will be courageous in the face of danger.

He will fight for and maintain self control.

He will put to death his lusts.

He will be in control of his emotions and yet not afraid of them.

He will find himself in losing himself.

He is humble, but sure of the gifts God has given him.

He is gentle when he should be and rough when necessary.

He is a man of strength of character and his word means something.

He fulfills his promises.

He isn’t ashamed of his Lord or either of his mothers.

He will put life in the proper order – 1 – God; 2 – His wife (if he has one); 3 – His children (if he has them) 4 – Others; 5 – Himself

A real man isn’t afraid of his masculine traits, but embraces them as a gift from God. He doesn’t abuse them, but understands the way to use them in service of God and others.

2 comments:

  1. The first point makes little sense (defining a term by using it, in a way), but really the list, for the most part, seems to describe what people should be generally, regardless of sex or gender. I really like the "finding himself in losing himself" bit.

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  2. I have to agree - these criteria apply to both sexes.

    Question. Your third to last criterion is this: "He isn't ashamed of his Lord or either of his mothers." Can a man still be a man but be ashamed of either of his fathers? How about a woman?

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