Saturday, August 25, 2012

Manhood Part 1: Sam Spade Meets Mr. Milquetoast


I shoved him up against the refrigerator. He was a teenager and so was I. I was the cashier at a 7-11. He was the hoodlum trying to steal beer from my store. I was young with no fear of getting hurt and a heart for bravado and justice. He grabbed a six-pack and wouldn’t pay for it. I asked him to hand it over; he wouldn’t so I shoved him hard against the cooler. Though I forget much from my teen years that moment I remember.

I remember because it was a powerful and passionate moment. As the scene played out I felt like Clark Kent becoming Superman. Testosterone flowing I felt fully male. I had tapped into my inner Sam Spade and it felt good. The same Sam Spade came forth when I raced my car and when I packed gear into Mineral King for a weekend. My manhood came roaring out in those situations and I felt the fullness of who I was meant to be.

The challenge in my life is to maintain and establish staying in touch with real manhood. Unlike in my teen years true manhood isn’t only evident in high testosterone situations. It is as critical in the boring activities at work and loving the wife and kid on the home-front. It is yielding to God always and flashing sword when appropriate. It is not an easy task in this life.

I think that’s where most of us men lose it. We get tired of fighting on all fronts. We get bored and can’t remember the last time we felt like a man. Failure begets wrong thinking (we fail to pull the sword from its sheath) and the spiral continues. Manhood is traded for the life of Mr. Milquetoast.

Does the transformation to Mr. Milquetoast become complete? Is true manhood misplaced forever? How can I maintain manhood in this present world? Stay tuned for tomorrows post where I’ll explore ideas for maintaining manhood.

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