Some time ago a friend recommended a website to me. I never went to it for some reason, but thankfully I stumbled upon it again a few months later.
If you visit the site, your first impression will most likely be based primarily on the illustration of the 19th century bare-knuckled boxer with the handlebar mustache at the top. Looking at that and the general design of the website you might conclude that it is all just a bit of silliness. Well, your conclusion would be premature.
In my perusal of the website I found many articles that addressed the nurturing of the “Mature Masculine” as opposed to the pre-adult/post-adolescent state that many young men find themselves in; a state in which they avoid the commitment of marriage, children, or the responsibility in general that comes along with being an adult—a man.
There is some good-natured silliness sprinkled in there too.
Reading these articles and some of the statistics about “men” in our modern society, I began, naturally, to worry about my own sons. Am I teaching them what they need to know to become responsible young men? Am I teaching them about the enjoyment that comes from putting in a hard day’s work? Actually creating something with your own hands? About the balance between work and recreation? (This one really worries me, what with video games and continuous media connectivity) Am I being a good example of these things?
My reading has resulted in constructive self-reflection and a determination to help my boys grow up into adulthood, and be good men.
Here are some of my favorite articles from their site. Some of these are the first post in a series. The subsequent entries in the series are included in my recommendation.
· The Cure for the Modern Male Malaise: The 5 Switches of Manliness (Intro to a five part series)
· Coming of Age: The Importance of Male Rites of Passage
· Craft the Life You Want: Creating a Blueprint for Your Future (First of a three part series)
· 3 Archetypes of American Manliness-Part I: The Genteel Patriarch
· Dance Like Zorba the Greek: Getting in Touch with Your Wild Man (Maybe my favorite post)
· Modern Maturity: Create More, Consume Less
There is plenty more to read there. These are just a few that stuck out to me.
Anywho, The Art of Manliness is having a photograph contest: The best bare-knuckle boxer pose. Here is our entry.
5 comments:
Okay, that is just too cute!! I love it!
How could you not win? Your entry is fabulous!
BRANDON AND I ARE BOTH LOVING THIS!!!!
Ash, you should have that framed somewhere in your house. Aren't you a lucky lady to have all of those manly men around?!
oh my goodness!! Can we please be your friends FOREVER??? That is such an awesome picture, and what a useful (and hilarious) blog! You can bet we will be spending a bit more time reading up on what it means to be a man, including learning a bit of Zorba's dance moves, even though there is only 1 man in the house for now. Thanks for the guest post, Corey!
I love it!
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