I think I'll call it "MAN-ifesto"

I think I'm going to take this in a new direction. 

The more and more I talk to people, the more apparent it becomes that men have stepped off the scene, and nobody knows just exactly where they disembarked. The suggestion that one isn't exuding masculine traits sends people into a tizzy, and generally brings up those defensive, pathetic emotions. Opinions aren't opinions anymore; you have no right to think what you will, you only have the right to be tolerant. 

Not in my house. 

Witnessing this disturbing trend has lead me to question just why it is that being masculine is so frequently under attack, and why being a man is considered backwards thinking. I think one reason we don't understand masculinity anymore is the fact that there are so few of us left! 

Where have the men gone?

Who went out and feminized all the men?

 Where are our role-models? 

I think these questions are being asked more and more, and the reason behind them is continually shrouded as we are constantly told that being a man is sexist and close minded. 

Don't worry fellas! I think I may have an answer. One of the biggest problems with masculinity nowadays is that nobody know's "how" to be masculine. With the growing absence of active fathers, boys now have no idea what it means to be a man. One thing we lack is instruction, and that is what I'm going to attempt; easy instruction.

Thus, I present "The Nine Noble Virtues."

For the next little bit, I'm going to be taking the points of the Nine Noble Virtues and breaking them down, explaining them, and giving some insight into just what they mean to us men in the modern era. Stay tuned!

-Coqui

The Importance of Individuality

Individuality.

That's a trait that used to be celebrated when I was coming up through school. 

"Celebrate you! You're unique!"

Where did that go? I've always embraced the fact that I am completely unique, and for that matter, so are you. Nobody on the planet, alive or dead, has experienced what I have, learned what I have, loved who I have, enjoyed what I have, or failed at what I've failed at. Each person is an individual, so why is it that individuals are being forced into collectives? 

Peer pressure is one element I suppose. Simply put, we all like to be liked. Now, not saying that being part of a group is bad, but I think what I have trouble with is when the group replaces the individual. I've never been a fan of large groups, especially when I feel my voice has no relevance. I feel like I've lost my individuality, and that's a nasty feeling. So why is it that everywhere I look, people are jumping at the chance to adhere to the collective? Haven't people been told that they have a rare quality, the likes of which haven't been seen before? That each and every individual has a purpose that isn't the group's responsibility, but their own?

Now I feel that I have to clarify, I'm not talking on a level of ego or self-esteem. While it's good to have these, relying on these feelings is a dangerous thing. Self worth really comes from being an individual who achieves things according to their purpose, who earns worth of self. Self-esteem is a sense that you're better than x or y, because of something that you are, without having anything to back up that feeling. I feel that this distinction has helped destroy individuality by pumping (our) generation with so much empty feeling-based self-esteem that we have no concept of self worth. We feel great as a group or self-esteemed people, but don't even know what it's like to be a self-worthy individual, something achieved through toil, especially inner toil. 

So, who are you? Who do you want to be? A member of a generation that feels worthy of esteem through no trial of character, or an individual who strives to be the best individual mind, voice, and being that impacts the group. 

"You're unique!"

-Coqui