Hello everyone, I always wanted to ask this question since it is a male dominated forum. I’m a young college student who’s obviously still growing. I’m still trying to figure out what it means to be a man and what kind of man I want to be. I guess all of your input would help with my thinking. Also, this can just be a very cool discussion.
It is statistically unlikely that you will get any taller.
You still have time to figure it out. To me “masculinity” infers upholding traditionally masculine characteristics. Competitiveness, assertiveness, confidence (all within reason, there’s a difference between being confident and assertive and being a dick).
Physical prowess doesn’t particularly factor into my definition of masculine as the average male is by and large leaps and bounds stronger than the average woman. Though the degree to how accentuated ones secondary sexual characteristics are certainly factors in
To be courageous, outspoken etc. There are multiple frameworks of masculinity and multiple personality types thus it’s not a one size fits all approach, you’ll figure it out
And no… being ‘masculine’ doesn’t mean you can’t show any emotion, it doesn’t mean you can’t cry when a family member dies. Being masculine simply infers you reside on a spectrum adhering more towards traditionally masculine traits as opposed to feminine character/physiical traits, and obviously there is a spectrum of masculinity.
Some men are more ‘manly’ than others and vice versa.
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I think he meant growing as in aging, haha. (Maybe…?)
Do you still consider yourself a Christian? If yes, there are plenty of instructions on how exactly you should conduct yourself. 1 Timothy 6 has one of the most popular sections of Scripture on the topic.
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A man takes care of his obligations and responsibilities. By that I mean, he goes to work everyday, takes care of his family, and basically “shows up” whenever he is supposed to. Many times this goes against what we feel naturally inclined to do, but when you step up and do what you have said you will do, even when no one is watching, that is a man.
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I’m thinking about this question and all the qualities I think that make one a good man are the same qualities I think make one a good human.
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That’s a good point. I had thought some level of physical strength, some ability to protect your loved ones, etc. are qualities men should have…but why not women also?
Anything else, any other virtues, are not things that should be found in only one half of the population.
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If only greenboy were still around. This thread could go from 0-100 in a split second.
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Masculinity = “Buying street women for the cost of a taco.”.
Ok. I’m done with that. Sorry.
It is a good subject, and I agree primarily with Pwn and J that it’s about being a good person.
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It’s honestly got me wondering. There surely IS a difference, but I wonder how far to dive down to find it.
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I think women hold a lot of sway in the formation, development and expression of the emotions of people (their children) and men hold a strong demonstrative role in actions. So, we learn to feel the way that the mother figure feels and do by what the father does.
Of course, this is all said with the understanding that I could be completely wrong.
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I consider myself a lukewarm Christian at the moment.
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I’d start by thinking about who you, personally, consider to be guy’s guys or manly men and, more importantly, why. Clint Eastwood? Jocko Willink? Hemingway? Kevin Smith? Conan the Barbarian? Han Solo? (Not really joking with those last two. There’s nothing at all wrong with admiring fictional characters.)
And just to throw it out there, I’d say that being a man isn’t, and really shouldn’t be, about having a flawless character. All people are flawed. It’s about whether or not their positive impact can outweigh their flaws.
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To be honest Chris I don’t have a role model that I consider to be a manly man.
Ronnie Coleman. No further to look. The dude worked super hard at everything he did, is a good family man, and is funny (at least I think so).
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So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Ouch. Lukewarm may not be the choice of words, haha.
“just a little test and dianabol”…
I am a big Ronnie fan too. I read his autobiography (he’s not much of a writer though) and gained a lot of respect for him.
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The more about him I learn, the more I like. He had an above 3.5 GPA in accounting. He couldn’t get a job despite putting a ton of effort into it (I can’t help but think his regional area, and being a very large black man didn’t help). Became a cop, and loved his work. Did that all while being the best BBer ever (IMO). Seems like he loves his family.
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I understand where you are coming from. I consider myself a Christian but have been extremely disappointed with a lot of so called “Christians” lately.
I have tried to take the example of Jesus, which really means have a servant’s attitude towards your fellow “man” (to include all humans). Try to do something that makes the world a better place to live (whatever that looks like to you). Help the less fortunate among us. Be kind and respectful to all and really as pwn said, be a good human.
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I’ll always admire Ronnie as a physical specimen, athlete and driven human.
I’ll always be conflicted that his job was to enforce the law and he was using an illegal controlled substance.
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Fair point. I can respect a cop that doesn’t enforce rules that don’t make sense to them in some degree. TBF to Ronnie, he did have several scripts from doctors for Test, Deca, HGH, and probably a few others. I really doubt that script covered his “needs” though.
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