Men of Fire and Courage

Get the steak knife ready, this will be one juicy steak to chew on and savor. I'm obliged to introduce several guest bloggers who will take over Transformed during the next month or so. They will be sharing their thoughts and testimonies of what it means to be a man and the qualities that make a man. Most like me hadn't thought about it to much. The purpose is to expose what is lacking and to shake up, and manifest the very essence of "Warm Blooded Manliness", charting the course for a more productive and successful life. Now, allow me to frame the beast...

"Our task is to create a new vision of manliness in a culture that no longer believes in saints, divinely revealed ideals, or absolute values." Sam Keen

It's true. The world around us and the very culture of America is fading away. The covers are being pulled over the eyes of every man that had the dream inside of living and impacting the world for the greater good. We can take that statement and laugh it away, but the truth is, we grew up with dreams, hopes, and aspirations. Chances are most of that has dwindled down to a flickering afterthought. The question I ask today is why? Most of us are in our 30's now, or will be entering our prime very soon. We aren't just kids with jobs anymore. We are starting to become the leaders of our families, workplaces, and in society as a whole. Whatever it is you do and wherever it is you go, people are watching. My concern is that men today do not have what it takes to lead our generation. Why?

One word-Passivity. Which literally means: a disposition to remain inactive or inert, the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally, and of course; inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy. That's hard to swallow. Perhaps you're thinking "Pffft, that's not me. I'm full of vitality and testicular fortitude. I provide for my family, work hard, workout, and I'm quite successful." I would respond by asking the questions, "How's your marriage, your children, and your dream? Do you feel strong, courageous, and secure? Is life engaging, satisfying, and captivating? When was the last time you had to stick your neck out and stand up for something you believed in, or stood up for something that was wrong?" 

As men, life is hard. It's hard enough just to maintain the status quo, but what exactly is the status quo? What are we doing? My humble opinion is that we have agreed to accept life as life is dealt to us. When things don't work out for us, well, we just roll with the punches hoping and waiting for things to change. In the meantime, our strength runs on empty, our vision to perceive something better is darkened, and maintaining the status quo seems much more fruitful and productive. Listen, I have personally witnessed the destruction caused by passivity. It's disastrous. Passive men willingly choose not to intervene in a given situation for fear of criticism or just because their plain cowards. This gentlemen, is how and why our marriages, children, and dreams fade away. I've seen it in churches and in the workplace. This is especially dangerous when leadership becomes passive. The folk’s people look up to for relief, actually end up inflicting more pain and burden. Here's the good news, we can turn this around. As men, created as men, we have something built into us called "Thumos." 

"Thumos"...is a Greek word expressing the concept of "spiritedness" (as in "spirited stallion" or "spirited debate"). The word indicates a physical association with breath or blood. The word is also used to express the human desire for recognition. Thumos is man's lifeblood, the very essence of who we are. Thumos is the competitive spirit, the strong man inside, courage, and power. Thumos is what burned inside the 300 Spartans as they held off at least 200,000 Persian invaders for three days between the Trachinian Cliffs and the Malian Gulf. Thumos is what burns inside a man in the middle of the Octagon. It's something we all have and know we have. The issue is tapping into that source which has been long suppressed, and using it for the greater good.

What do I mean by that? Here's a true story. A 91 year old man was pummeled to the ground by a 5'9 male in an Atlanta Georgia suburb while15 people watched idly. The attacker was attempting to steal the man's car and wallet. The 91 year old man was beaten into a coma, and could have died, if it wasn't for some young pizza delivery driver who witnessed the attack from a block away and called Police. Allow me to say 15 people watched idly. What would you have done? Coward or hero? See, most of us men think, "Well, I'm busy and tired somebody else can help." The problem with that is everyone thinks like that! This is a mild example. This is what happens when we've lived the passive lifestyle for to long. 

Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, and intimidation, and always requires sacrifice. Courage is what we need today. I don't say that in terms of "superhero courage", I say this in terms of everyday type courage. I see passive men in panoramic view constantly. We've become yes men, door mats, and status quo nobleman. The focal point of this blog is to stir up the thumos! It's to start practicing courage in everyday affairs. We have to start somewhere. I believe this affects every area of our lives. If man's Thumos isn't stoked everybody suffers. As men, we can't love our wives passionately. We can't stand up and discipline our children correctly, nor do they respect us. The scary part is that most of the people I know are passive, including me. I have been working on this though. You see, we spend all our time playing defense, trying to please everyone all the time, all the while wondering why our situation and life isn't changing. It will kill us. Little by little we must start standing up and activating the courageous spirit within. In the last blog post of this series I will present several ways to stir up and maintain the thumos. Guys, we have to be guys, not pampered well mannered chick dudes. Thumos must be stoked and stirred. It's time we start cultivating...

"No man is strong unless he bears within his character antitheses strongly marked." -MLK

Finally, stay posted as we dig into this topic! Special guest blogger next week...