Warrior Soul Resource Center

Commentary Trading Post 

Updated June 13, 2005
Opinion Exchange
Your opinions are very welcome here.
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Cooper Thompson writes in "A New Vision of Masculinity" in New Men:

Bob Honkisz writes:
Gordon Clay's quote about Man's nature seems a more approriate description of what a man is than that of Thompson. Having a curiosity about all that is related to life, being perceived as vulnerable at times, and being able to express emotions freely are critical attributes to being a man. Clay seems to recognize a balance to what a man should be. To use an Oriental phrase, there is a ying and a yang to manhood.
Perhaps a better picture of today's man is the Tom Hanks character in the Movie, "You've Got Mail". There is a definite balance to his character. He has a competitive side that is reflected in his success as a businessman, yet he freely expresses his emotions by the way he interacts with the two children, and with Meg Ryan in his e-mail to her.
When I first visited your website yesterday, I thought of what Sam Keen had written in his book, Fire in the Belly. He writes that man must take care of his heart, his hearth, and the earth. If man is to take care of these things in his life, then he must have a balance to his nature.
Bob Honkisz

david writes:
if cooperation and communication are not masculine values then how the hell did men ever organize unions & co-ops & socialist movements & etc
yours angrily
david

David Kaiser writes:
Does masculinity have to include competitiveness, toughness, agressiveness and power?
I think it does have to include the positive aspects of these things, but also more. Remember that competitiveness and aggressiveness, properly focused, bring tremendous achievement and advancement. Toughness is necessary for defending one's family, community and ideals. Lastly, the concept of Strength is the bedrock of masculinity, not the strength to dominate, but the strength to protect and inspire. Once a man has this inner and outer Strength, anything is possible: when a strong man does something traditionally perceived as "soft," he is perceived as sensitive and confident, when a weak man does something soft, he is perceived as effeminate, unable to do what's "hard."
However, these aren''t the onlydefinitions of masculinity, remember the saying, "never give a sword to a man who can't dance." Dancing, poetry, emotion, and so many other things are just as much a part of masculinity.
The central idea is that these attributes: strength, aggressiveness, toughness, can all be abused or can be put to good use, it is our job to ensure that we put them to use serving our communities.
DK


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