Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Masculine Revolution

Seems to me we need a Masculine Revolution. The only trouble with that is that men as a group don't tend to get organized and network as well as do women when it comes to revolutions. If the revolution has something to do with war and kicking serious butt, then yes, men are all over that. But when it comes to an actual revolution of consciousness, then men tend to preoccupy themselves with the football game and such. I'm a man. I know these things. I have been there and done that, and quite frankly, it got very boring very quickly.

So what the heck do I mean by a Masculine Revolution? Well, we are finding as men that our roles in society are changing radically and rapidly. Our roles as fathers are now not just "providers" and emotionally absent "kings of the castle", but are nurturers and caregivers. We now do things like clean bathrooms. We do these things because they need to be done, not because our wives and live in partners have nagged us to do them. We are becoming more conscious of how bloody hard our mothers worked themselves into the ground while our fathers ignored it and preoccupied themselves with the football game. Don't get me wrong, I love football. But there is a time and a place for everything. So now we no longer "help out" around the house and "babysit" our own kids. I hate it when I am with my children and someone says to me,"So you are babysitting today?" ARRRRGH!!!! I am caring for my children! I am their FATHER! That is what fathers do now days, so get on the same page and know that there is nothing (NOTHING) more important to me than my children. If I were a babysitter, I would get paid to do this stuff. Instead, I am investing my time and energy into being there for my children so that they know what a strong and gentle male is and will hopefully partner up with another strong and gentle male and not just some beer swigging redneck bloke!

In my vision of a Masculine Revolution we change from the inside and thus ripple that change to the outside world. We don't have to take up arms to perform this revolution. We do need to take up a new awareness of what it is to be male. We won't have anything to "prove" about being male. We will grow confidence and self-trust from within. We will have integrity and not be pushed about by society's expectations that we live up to some stereotype role of a male.

A true warrior is someone who will make 40,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for his children over the course of 12 years or until they know how to do it for themselves. For some children this learning curve comes way before 12. For some....well it may be a bit after that, but hopefully not much. A true warrior is present and accountable in his child's life, not absent and aloof. He is there to help his child to learn what it truly is to be a responsible person. That means taking the consequences as well as the praise. Learning how to personally grow is an important part of anyone's life. A true warrior teaches other warriors how to walk through life with love and peace and connection to the world around him. He teaches this to his sons and to his daughters. His sons will learn how to show respect to elders and to their wives and lovers. His daughters will be confident and capable of corporate work, or mothering (the most challenging job she will ever have) or both. There will be open hearts, full hearts, strong hearts and clear hearts involved in every interaction.

I will probably blog more on this, so do stay tuned. Just know that for now, the revolution is happening and it is silent in sound, but thunderous in effect.

Blessed Be

Trent

2 comments:

Krymson said...

Amen Warrior Brotha, rock on!

Peace,
Krymson

Trent Deerhorn said...

I am father, hear me roar??? ;-)

Blessed Be

Trent