What is a real man?

A real man is a man that moves forwards towards his heart. It matters nothing if he is a sexless dork - if he is a sexless dork moving towards his heart then he is a real man. It matters nothing if he is a paled weakling - if he is a paled weakling moving towards his heart then he is a real man. Every man starts at a different position in relation to his heart. It does not matter. To be a real man only means to move forwards towards your own heart. A real man does not conform to the ideal of a man. He is who he is and he moves forwards. This alone is the real man.

The real man is the man with the gift who breaks his back to give it. The real man is the man of service who tears his muscles to be of the highest possible service. A man who takes is not a real man but a leech-man. The rich man is the leech-man. A man who turns his back on the suffering of the world is not a real man but a coward-man. A man who indulges in pleasure at the expense of others is not a real man but a flabby-souled man.

There are no rules here. There is no physique you are meant to have. There is no sex that you are meant to be having. A real man is not controlled by his animal instincts but is in control of his animal instincts. He is not at the whim of his base impulses, nor is he at the mercy of social conditioning. He accepts his bondage and then works with diligence to be free. To be free and in control is not required to be a real man. To be a real man is to work to being free and to work to being in control.

A real man does not sacrifice what he is interested in, passionate about, excited to do, loves to be, because of other men or because of society. A fashion man is not a real man, but a following man. He makes no mark, holds no identity, he has reduced himself to a statistic. He will die a blur. A real man does not male groom whilst children starve. A real man does not adorn with tattoos whilst wars rage. A real man does not go clothes shopping whilst the environment is being destroyed. A real man has focus. He knows what needs to be done and he finds a way to do it. A real man gets lost, confused, disheartened, but, for the good of all, will always pick himself up and continue the movement forward. A real man perseveres.

A real man does not waste time or energy. He does not build more muscle than he needs. He does not engage in activities out of enjoyment. A real man looks at the world, identifies the priorities, and then acts in selfless service, directly or indirectly, taking the humble lead, or serving humbly behind the scenes. But always humble, always in service. The world is a better one for him having been alive. He is truly mourned when gone.

A real man does not need to be entertained. Who in their right mind plays video games whilst children starve? There are bigger games, and a real man seeks them out even as a whole world seeks to rein him in. A real man does not get a job. He works - he is always working - but for the good of all. He will sacrifice everything that is not needed to be free every available hour to develop, to learn, and to help. He will seek out the good in every situation, and find a way to create good in any situation. He is creative and inspired and courageous. He does good for the sake of good, even at great personal sacrifice and cost, because in goodness is the life truly lived.

A real man wakes up at 4am to meditate for as many hours as his circumstances allow him. He knows his mind. He knows the power it holds. He refuses to be a slave to it - he is, for now, but he works restlessly to be in control of himself, to never again be a slave to vain, fleeting, empty thoughts, born of nothing, returning to nothing, never to be dragged along by again.

What kind of man indulges in comfort? What kind of man lays around in bed? A weak man. A nothing man. A man who yawns himself awake each day with nothing of value to contribute. A real man sleeps because it is needed, but deplores such an imposition on his movement forwards. What wasted hours! Alas, a real man is not a fool, and rest is needed. He wakes up excited and alive and then stills himself into focus. A real man has cold eyes and a warm heart. Love directs him, but he is machine like in his movements forward.

A real man is endlessly gentle and kind. This is real strength. He defends and protects with his body and his life if needed, but never more than is required, never with the wish to hurt or harm, and always saddened to exert force. He understands that the violent, foolish, impulsive man is nought but a lost man deserving of patience and compassion, and the chance to have an open heart to a new and better way. A real man cultivates harmony with others through patience, wisdom and understanding. A real man is so much more than the brute with muscles. His heart is the lake, and though the winds of life create ripples and waves, his depths remain calm and untouched.

The only desires a real man allows is the desire to create a better world built on empathy, and the desire to have what is needed to be most effective in creating that better world. There are no rules. A real man figures out his own path. A real man knows himself and is his own government. He knows what is needed and is honest with himself. He has in his first few movements alone tasted greater rewards in life than the indulgence of petty wants.

A real man never looks down on others. His weak brothers may embody everything pathetic and disposable, but a real man knows his good fortune to be receptive, and only wishes his brother the same. There is no judgement, and no coercion, just a quiet wish to be able to set such an example that his brother is inspired. A real man holds a devoted willingness to lift up his brother when called upon. But to be called upon he must.

A real man never complains. What more can be said? If something is not liked then do something or don’t. A real man is born into helpless pain and difficulty, is scarred and shaped by terrible circumstances, is crushed under foot by both peer and enemy, but refuses victimhood, and, one small movement at a time, he moves forward. A real man knows that no-one in life has it easy - that suffering is part of the deal, and so never bemoans his lot.

A real man thinks for himself. He reads these words and then writes his own. He reads these words and questions them. He reads these words, takes what is his and leaves what is not. He is not a follower. He does not obey orders. He accepts no authority beyond his conscience. He will die for what is right and kill himself before doing what is wrong.

Who is the prejudiced man? A man who cannot resist conditioning? A man who cannot overcome fear? A man so afraid to be alone that he shapes himself to fit any pathetic notion? A man lost amidst a pack of toothless dogs barking at ghosts? A man too weak and afraid to engage with the complexities of diversity and difference? This is no man.

A real man never flaunts what he has and who he is. A real man would never strut or pose like a retarded peacock. The truly strong and powerful are never known or seen until needed to be known and seen. Their strength is not on display, and their power is held in tight reserve. They are humble, yielding, gentle and inconspicuous, they do only what needs to be done when it needs to be done, but by God, when they do what needs to be done when it needs to be done, truly, it is done.

A real man does not kill. A real man cannot be a soldier. A real man does not drop bombs on women and children because someone else tells him to. Ha! This is a dumb man. A spineless man. A man who embodies wonderful virtues of courage and sacrifice and then uses them to create suffering. The obedient man. The unthinking man. The slave man. Wrapped up in medals and honour to conceal the desperate truth of his pawn nature, nothing more, nothing less.

A real man is one who moves forward unceasingly. It means not that he does not hurt. It means not that he is not defeated. It just means that, no matter what becomes him, he continues to move forwards.

A real man does not eat meat. What kind of man permits suffering and death to please a sense pleasure? Torture and death because it tastes good? This is not a real man, but a selfish, weak man. A man complicit in killing for his own fleeting pleasure is not a real man. Let karma and the fangs of the lion be your teacher.

A real man is not daunted by our great challenges, but sees them only as a series of steps from being solved, and so takes the first step. A real man is simple, open and flexible. He does not judge his circumstances nor attempt to control them. He learns what can be learnt, benefits where benefit is to be had, suffers if suffering is included, and moves on when called to move on.

A real man thinks nothing of himself and never measures his growth. He knows he is at the mercy of circumstance and one arrangement of the pieces from exposure and humiliation. There are depths and angles of a mans character that he should never tempt. A real man holds his head down. He never invokes the testing of the gods… for a real man will lose every time. It is enough for the real man to face what is without the vanity and bravado of inviting challenge. A real man never invites challenge. Challenge invited will crush, challenge accepted will strengthen.

A real man knows that he does not have the answers, only his own, and he shares them when invited and teaches only - only - what he knows to be true. A real man identifies what he is good at and uses it. He identifies weaknesses that impede and addresses them. There is no excess. There is no indulgent learning. What is adopted is what is needed for his mission/ Hobbies? Ha! Is there nothing to be done on this planet? No war? No poverty?

A real man is not defined by his physique, his status, his wealth, his women, but by his spirit. A real man moves forwards unceasingly. It does not matter when he begins. He may be sexless in skin and bones, but his heart is on fire, his mind is a laser, and the gods kneel before his spirit. Because a man who moves forwards is a man who moves forwards into eternity, and so eternity he becomes. He is all and he is everything because he never stops. A real man is an endless beginner. His is a journey through the stars, far beyond fates. He cares nothing for his name, thinks nothing of his reputation, takes or leaves all love, he is nought but a speck of dust in all time, but he moves forwards, and that is enough… that is everything.

 

My very first sentences are...

A real man is a man that moves forwards towards his heart. It matters nothing if he is a sexless dork - if he is a sexless dork moving towards his heart then he is a real man. It matters nothing if he is a paled weakling - if he is a paled weakling moving towards his heart then he is a real man.

Now, i'm sure all the sexless dorks in the world would love to have the script rewritten to make them the supermen, but otherwise, I think you've very badly misread my words from the very first words! Nevermind.

 

You only have to move towards it... or to your own highest ideals. It is not in achieving your ideals that defines you as a real man or not, but simply the willingness to move towards them.

Generally, we all agree that the limits of free choices are where our choices hurts someone else. My argument is that that applies to animals too. If, however, there was a necessity for eating meat... a desperate survival situation, a curious circumstance where building large muscles was necessary and required animals protein, then fair enough. But I don't know of a good reason why a human being needs meat. And I can't see how taste enjoyment is a reasonable argument. If I killed animals because I liked the sound of their screams as they died then you'd consider me sick. If I killed animals because I liked the smell of their decomposing flesh then you'd regard me a monster. So what is the difference?

My words are to all men and therefore to all soldiers. I don't discriminate between nations. If all soldiers in the world heeded my words then there would be no wars.

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Yes indeed. Nicely said. We should strive to be our best and to contribute as much as we can for the good of the world. Where we perhaps differ is that I believe human beings are capable of much, much, much more than their current 'best', and are able to give much, much, much more to create a better world than their current contribution. This isn't an attack on people, this is a deep belief in humanities goodness and immense potential. Within you is the capacity to change the world. Whether you do or not rests only on what you believe of yourself.

 

I'm not a woman so it's difficult to speak for their nature or the truth of their nature. Longer guidelines can be useful... books etc. I'll reread what I wrote and see how it can be more concise, helpful etc.