+003_How to be a Man in a Dangerous World. (According to Jack Donovan)

Jack Donovan's book "The Way of Men" is clear about what made men in the ancient past: The Four Tactical Virtues. These can be developed as skills. But what about Truth and Goodness and all that?....

“Before you can have church and art and philosophy, you need to be able to survive…” (pg.48)

1.) The reason I am interested in any of this stuff at all is that it’s uncomfortable for me.

I’m definitely not trying to be the manhood guy. But, I recognize I can learn from the way things used to be, before we became more civilized. Before we had the luxury of democratizing and politicizing everything.

Before that there was just survival.

And in a world where you had to hunt and fight and build to survive, men gained clearly distinguishable skills. And that’s the majority of what made a man.

Being a man wasn’t like a nice sounding idea like it is today.

Even in the recent past this idea of an amoral, tactical kind of manhood would have been highly discouraging to me. Because…I’m extremely allergic to poison ivy, and I have a hunting riffle that I haven’t shot in like 5 years. I tried to start a fire once this winter in the cold and failed. I’m pathetic.

Why in the world would I impose this survivalist kind of manhood on myself?

Well, I can think of a few good reasons.

1. Because the world is dangerous whether i like it or not.

2.I tell myself, “if you can get better at these things, Nick, even being the soft little modern man that you are, you have everything to gain. You will truely transform. This is a treasure trove of self-transformation :

To hunt,build, and fight.

3.If you can somehow get strong, courageous, achieve mastery of skills, and become honorable, you will reconnect to the entire ancient history of men in a dangerous world.

The good news is that all of these things can be practiced.

The opportunity for improvement is enormous.