Masculinity is Practical

By Peter Wesson

"Being a real man is as much about what we do as who we are. Masculinity must be practical to be actual."

When one looks at great men of history, what shines forth?  While there is a place for the conceptualist and theorist, such as Einstein, we find overwhelmingly that the men most respected are men that did something.  They didn't just feel masculine, they put it into practice.  George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Daniel Boone, David Crockett, and others were known for more than their words.  They were known as men of action.  During their time, to be a man of action was practically a redundancy.

Even conceptualists like Einstein are not truly appreciated until what they theorized finds a practical application.  It is when the engineer found a use for the theorist's ideas that such is found to be truly world-changing.  A conceptualist is after all just a dreamer, howbeit perhaps a genius dreamer, until his dreams are shown to be reality.

When one reads the New Testament, one finds that the things associated with carrying out the role of a man are often very practical in nature.  Things such working to provide for the family or protecting the family from harm are all things that require doing.  For most major world religions and worldviews, masculinity is about what is done on the outside, not just what a male might feel on the inside.

In a very excellent article on the website, The Art of Manliness, Brett Mckay noted that "to feel like a man you have to act like a man."  The wisdom in this is pretty powerful.  Instead of sitting around waiting to feel something, you must begin to do something.

If one has ever wanted to learn to play a musical instrument, one has to begin playing that instrument.  You don't suddenly being feeling like a musician and then your talent magically matches your feeling.  Rather, you have to practice your skills until suddenly one day it dawns upon you, "Hey, I'm a musician now."

Masculinity or being a man can be like this.  What do you associate with being masculine?  For many of us, it has to do with the fathers that raised us.  If you were blessed to have a man like my father, you saw somebody that did manly things.  Working to provide for his family.  Doing repairs around the home.  Being the one to do the heavy lifting when needed.  Basically, the manliness you saw was actualized through the practice of being masculine.

What are thought of as masculine jobs?  Usually, it is things that are very practical in nature.  Mechanics, lumberjacks, machinists, and truck drivers are things that are useful to make society go round.  Yes, women can and do participate in these fields.  Yet, they are still to this day jobs that are associated with men.  These traditionally masculine professions are a reminder that traditional masculinity carried with it the idea of being useful to society. 

Do you want to be more masculine?  You can grow a beard, wear more gender-distinct clothes, and ponder manly things.  However, for people to really think of you as masculine, a quote from the movie Batman Begins is in order, "It's not who you are underneath; it's what you do that defines you."  Begin being useful to society.  Learn skills that are useful to yourself and others.  Learn to fix a leaky sink.  Learn how to do basic repairs on your car.  Find ways to increase your skills and to be more of an asset to your family.  

Masculinity must be practical in order to be actual.  Yes, it is also a mindset and even a look.  However, without practicality it will be no more than those things.