Reading the headline today about the apparent criticism allegedly made by the Nashua mayor about her husband, has me wondering if masculinity may be dying in a work world that is increasingly soul-killing for men.
First, this local story obviously contains a marital issue that is none of our business. But on the societal level, have we become so bureaucratized, so conflict avoidant, so conformist, so egalitarian, so encumbered by regulation, so politically correct, so security-oriented, so fearful, and so un-creative, that many boys and men are unable to function? Has the feminization of community life destroyed healthy masculinity?
Take a look at these contrasting notions below. The first is a quote from Teddy Roosevelt about risk and entrepreneurship. The second is from Wikipedia about Nietzsche's Last Man.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat."
“The last man is tired of life, takes no risks, and seeks only comfort and security….The last man is the goal that European civilization has apparently set for itself. The lives of the last men are comfortable…. Social conflict is minimized." "Nietzsche said that the society of the last man would be too barren to support the growth of great individuals. The last man is possible only by mankind’s having bred an apathetic creature who has no great passion or commitment, who is unable to dream, who merely earns his living and keeps warm. The last men claim to have discovered happiness, but blink every time they say so.”
I have some advice for men. Get in the game. Stop smoking pot because it is an escape. Find your passion and live it. Take a risk. Most importantly, do not allow your life to be dominated by women. The world needs men to create, to innovate, and to do great things.
