![\"Moth,](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/IMG_2421.jpg\")
<\/a>Moths don’t recognize the danger posed by the flame<\/p><\/div>\n
And what of the institutions that used to count on the unique contributions, participation and leadership of men? \u00a0Nearly all have concluded that they don’t need a man. \u00a0Sadly , this includes large portions of the church. \u00a0No churches place signs outside saying “No men allowed,” but rare is the church that actively values men and their created role, and that teaches forthrightly the respective and complimentary roles of men and women in the church, especially as it regards male spiritual headship in marriage.<\/p>\n
Speaking of marriage, we must confront the sad fact that over 70% of divorces\u00a0in the US are initiated by the wife. \u00a0One would think that if men and women were\u00a0equally cussed, there would be \u00a0something close to an even split among those filing for divorce. \u00a0Not so. \u00a0Others have explained in greater detail that the family court system favors women in divorce actions, awarding them custody of the children, child support and alimony, even if the wife violates the marriage vows. So here in three paragraphs is a snapshot — admittedly incomplete — of the habitat of contemporary masculinity.<\/p>\n
The temptation to fatalism is understandable, and doubtless some men are foregoing the benefits of education, the challenge of pursuing a career , the camaraderie of the church and the comforts, however fraught, of loving a woman. \u00a0The question I would pose to my sons, my nephews and you is: Is this adaptive?<\/p>\n
What Should A Man Do?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nIf you’re one of these men who is considering opting out or has already checked out, I’m glad to have this opportunity to address you. I agree it’s difficult, but what do you gain, and what does the world gain by your retreat? \u00a0No man should believe of himself that he’s just here using oxygen — you were created for a purpose, and the first part of your mission is to discover it. \u00a0Then you need to be about it \u00a0“OK,” you say, “how?”<\/p>\n
I advocate engaging the current culture but not on its terms. \u00a0This means being creative and resourceful in becoming the best possible version of yourself. \u00a0This starts with taking an inventory of your strengths and your weaknesses and building where you’re strongest and where you have the greatest opportunity for improvement.\u00a0When\u00a0you understand why you’re here and when your mind, your body, your spirit and your relationships are as good as they can be, your external circumstances will have less power over you.<\/p>\n
Mind<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nCollege, and the debt required to pay for a degree, may not make economic sense. \u00a0If that’s your case, it’s completely understandable, but that is not an excuse for being uneducated. \u00a0In my county library cards are free, and there are classic works you can read online for free. \u00a0How about starting with the theoretical and philosophical foundations of western civilization? \u00a0Read Plato. \u00a0Read Aristotle. \u00a0Read the Odyssey. Read the Bible. \u00a0 Perhaps your circumstances will improve and you can matriculate. \u00a0If so, you’ll be far ahead of your classmates who have not read these works, because you will have read them for the love of wisdom, rather than to get a grade. \u00a0And if not, you’ll have learned from the great minds without incurring debt.<\/p>\n
Several young men I know are living at home and completing their freshman and sophomore years at the local community college while working to pay their way through. \u00a0The cost per credit hour is about 25% of the cost of the state U and the credits are transferable. These men also have the opportunity to take some trade courses if they want\u00a0to pick up skills such as welding as a fallback. \u00a0Ten years after you graduate college, the only people who care where you went are the fundraisers from your alma mater.<\/p>\n
Body<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nMost women say they aren’t into bodybuilders, but they do like muscles. \u00a0If you don’t have a habit of exercise, get one.<\/p>\n
Men focus on facial and bodily symmetry and the waist-hip ratio first. \u00a0Women do like a man with a handsome face, but they like an interesting and confident man more. \u00a0How can you improve your looks and your confidence? \u00a0Determine what you need. \u00a0Better posture? A public speaking course? A new haircut? \u00a0Better grooming? New clothes that fit properly? (Your mom doesn’t buy your clothes, does she?) \u00a0Good shoes? \u00a0I’m not joking. \u00a0Especially about the shoes.<\/p>\n
Spirit\/Relationships<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nFind a group of guys who share your values and your commitment to being a man. \u00a0Encourage each other to achieve your goals and to do right, even if others seem to profit by doing wrong. \u00a0Seek God together. \u00a0Worship together. \u00a0Serve the community together. \u00a0Have fun together. \u00a0Take the time to become friends. \u00a0And if one of your guys falls, help him get back on his feet.<\/p>\n
We’re still getting to know each other, so I’ll \u00a0wrap this up for now. \u00a0I do want to add that while it is true that the desire to attract a beautiful woman can be a powerful motivator for some men, you’re going to need to pursue excellence for its own sake even if — \u00a0especially if — there isn’t necessarily a quality woman at the end of the process. \u00a0I’ll bet there will be, but if you make her the focus, you won’t aim high enough and you’ll abandon your mission at the first indication of a woman’s attention. \u00a0More on this later.<\/p>\n
What about you? \u00a0Where are you strongest? \u00a0Where do you need the most improvement? \u00a0For what it’s worth, I believe in focusing on improving my strengths, and\u00a0addressing my weaknesses only as much as necessary. \u00a0(If you’re a quarterback, it’s\u00a0better to improve at your position, than to try to become a linebacker.) \u00a0So, what would that look like for you? \u00a0And what’s preventing you from getting started? \u00a0Add your comments below<\/span><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is\u00a0\u00a0is hard to describe the condition of masculinity in the US \u00a0as anything other than grim. \u00a0Women earn close to 60% of the college degrees awarded each year, and since a college degree is the price of admission to most salaried jobs, this places men at a disadvantage in launching a career. \u00a0The knowledge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42,28,26,185,70,65,187,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commitment","category-confidence","category-fitness","category-headship","category-honor","category-leadership","category-marriage","category-purpose"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1412"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1418,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412\/revisions\/1418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
College, and the debt required to pay for a degree, may not make economic sense. \u00a0If that’s your case, it’s completely understandable, but that is not an excuse for being uneducated. \u00a0In my county library cards are free, and there are classic works you can read online for free. \u00a0How about starting with the theoretical and philosophical foundations of western civilization? \u00a0Read Plato. \u00a0Read Aristotle. \u00a0Read the Odyssey. Read the Bible. \u00a0 Perhaps your circumstances will improve and you can matriculate. \u00a0If so, you’ll be far ahead of your classmates who have not read these works, because you will have read them for the love of wisdom, rather than to get a grade. \u00a0And if not, you’ll have learned from the great minds without incurring debt.<\/p>\n
Several young men I know are living at home and completing their freshman and sophomore years at the local community college while working to pay their way through. \u00a0The cost per credit hour is about 25% of the cost of the state U and the credits are transferable. These men also have the opportunity to take some trade courses if they want\u00a0to pick up skills such as welding as a fallback. \u00a0Ten years after you graduate college, the only people who care where you went are the fundraisers from your alma mater.<\/p>\n
Body<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nMost women say they aren’t into bodybuilders, but they do like muscles. \u00a0If you don’t have a habit of exercise, get one.<\/p>\n
Men focus on facial and bodily symmetry and the waist-hip ratio first. \u00a0Women do like a man with a handsome face, but they like an interesting and confident man more. \u00a0How can you improve your looks and your confidence? \u00a0Determine what you need. \u00a0Better posture? A public speaking course? A new haircut? \u00a0Better grooming? New clothes that fit properly? (Your mom doesn’t buy your clothes, does she?) \u00a0Good shoes? \u00a0I’m not joking. \u00a0Especially about the shoes.<\/p>\n
Spirit\/Relationships<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nFind a group of guys who share your values and your commitment to being a man. \u00a0Encourage each other to achieve your goals and to do right, even if others seem to profit by doing wrong. \u00a0Seek God together. \u00a0Worship together. \u00a0Serve the community together. \u00a0Have fun together. \u00a0Take the time to become friends. \u00a0And if one of your guys falls, help him get back on his feet.<\/p>\n
We’re still getting to know each other, so I’ll \u00a0wrap this up for now. \u00a0I do want to add that while it is true that the desire to attract a beautiful woman can be a powerful motivator for some men, you’re going to need to pursue excellence for its own sake even if — \u00a0especially if — there isn’t necessarily a quality woman at the end of the process. \u00a0I’ll bet there will be, but if you make her the focus, you won’t aim high enough and you’ll abandon your mission at the first indication of a woman’s attention. \u00a0More on this later.<\/p>\n
What about you? \u00a0Where are you strongest? \u00a0Where do you need the most improvement? \u00a0For what it’s worth, I believe in focusing on improving my strengths, and\u00a0addressing my weaknesses only as much as necessary. \u00a0(If you’re a quarterback, it’s\u00a0better to improve at your position, than to try to become a linebacker.) \u00a0So, what would that look like for you? \u00a0And what’s preventing you from getting started? \u00a0Add your comments below<\/span><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It is\u00a0\u00a0is hard to describe the condition of masculinity in the US \u00a0as anything other than grim. \u00a0Women earn close to 60% of the college degrees awarded each year, and since a college degree is the price of admission to most salaried jobs, this places men at a disadvantage in launching a career. \u00a0The knowledge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42,28,26,185,70,65,187,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commitment","category-confidence","category-fitness","category-headship","category-honor","category-leadership","category-marriage","category-purpose"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1412"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1418,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1412\/revisions\/1418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Find a group of guys who share your values and your commitment to being a man. \u00a0Encourage each other to achieve your goals and to do right, even if others seem to profit by doing wrong. \u00a0Seek God together. \u00a0Worship together. \u00a0Serve the community together. \u00a0Have fun together. \u00a0Take the time to become friends. \u00a0And if one of your guys falls, help him get back on his feet.<\/p>\n
We’re still getting to know each other, so I’ll \u00a0wrap this up for now. \u00a0I do want to add that while it is true that the desire to attract a beautiful woman can be a powerful motivator for some men, you’re going to need to pursue excellence for its own sake even if — \u00a0especially if — there isn’t necessarily a quality woman at the end of the process. \u00a0I’ll bet there will be, but if you make her the focus, you won’t aim high enough and you’ll abandon your mission at the first indication of a woman’s attention. \u00a0More on this later.<\/p>\n