The State of Manhood: A Soap Box Moment

As I take a moment to switch my focus from the Dadhood to Manhood, I have to be sure to make my search engine filter is strict so someone's MANHOOD doesn't pop up (pun intended) on my screen.  As I did twitter searches and Google searches for manhood, I found what I expected to see.   We have shrunk the concept of manhood from an ideal to strive for, to nothing more than a throbbing member with hormones raging through it.  The American rite of passage of manhood is not a test of character, but a test to solve for the volume of a cylinder ()!  We have more men who want to live like boys than we have boys wanting to be men.  What is the consequence of living in the past?  Well, you may wake up one day and find you're married with children trying to relive your one glorious day at Polk High, with a woman you despise and children you hardly know.


Anyways, the problem is not what you find when you search for manhood, but what it has come to mean.  Manhood, like many other terms, has become distorted and perverted in its meaning and usage.  If you do not believe in the power of a word, consider the N-word.  This is a word that so oppressed a race of people, that they took on the task of using it to continue to oppress themselves.  Manhood used to mean something of substance, and even though it only kind of does now, it has become slang for a man's Johnson, Wang, Rasputin, or whoever he wants to call his Peter.

Manhood is defined as the state of being a man.  It is a state of being, not the dingle on your dangle.  There is the saying to make sure you do  not "drop the soap" in prison, or your manhood will be taken.  This too is the wrong idea of manhood.  If you apply this thinking to the gay community, then you are saying that they are not men.  Is that true?  To be honest, I would much rather have a devoted, self-aware compassionate individual on my team than a tiger-blooded Adonis  warlock who loves and hates violently.

We reach manhood not through the knocking of boots, or slapping of skins, but through perseverance, and proving we have an unshakable determination.  We learn to survive by our wits against the elements (camping), and bend them to our will (camp fires).  We discover that we are good at some things, but not at others, and we do not cry to our mommies to force the schools or organizations to make us participate so we feel good about ourselves by having no winners or losers.  We are prepared for the harsh realities of life is the safe and loving environment of our home by the man we strive to become one day... our fathers. 

[Climbing down off my soap box]

Thank you for indulging me for a bit.