Stoicism and masculinity go together like two peas in a pod. They are inseparable from one another. Like being nurturing and femininity. Masculine men are very stoic and vice versa. Nowadays males have been taught to be affected by the world around them in the way that a woman would (it makes them easier to control). Males have been taught it’s okay to be a victim, it’s okay to let their emotions control them, and that “keeping a stiff upper lip” is an “out-dated term” (out dated apparently being a term for “making it harder to push our agenda).
The fact of the matter is none of this is true. Men were meant to be stoic and strong. While this makes them harder to control and mislead (bad news for those at the top) it makes them men and much more successful in their own lives. Men were made to be unaffected by the world around them, the be stronger than the circumstances thrust upon them, to overcome, to advance, to conquer. To be hit hard and barely even register it. That is to be a man.
What Stoicism Is Not
Now with this being said I want to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea so I’m going to discuss what stoicism is not. Stoicism is not being a doormat. It’s not letting others walk all over you while you remain unaffected. It’s not allowing a woman to beat and berate you without reacting. It’s not being emotionless and it’s not retreating from the world into a shell. Many would have you believe that is what stoicism is so that you miss out on the great power that stoicism give you.
Stoicism is strength. It’s not bending to the will of others and being so strong you push right through adversity. Stoicism is not giving in to your emotions and weaker desires but keeping on. It’s not flinching when you take a hit (though you do retaliate). It’s not turning the other cheek but rather being a strong unassailable wall. That no matter what the enemy throws at you it has no effect because of the strength of the wall. Stoicism means you affect the world around you more than you are affected by it. That you stand strong in the face of adversity and do not back down, cower, or run away.
The Oak
A good metaphor for stoicism is the oak and the storm. The oak is one of the mightiest of trees. The roots are deep and the tree is strong. When the storm comes and the rain beats down the oak is unaffected. When the winds blow harder and harder the oak is unaffected. No matter what the storm throws at the oak it will not be uprooted it will weather the toughest of storms and come out stronger. Adversity does not faze it. It laughs at the attempts to uproot and destroy it. For it knows its roots are deep and its base strong.
Men are to be their own oak. They are to weather the storms of life unaffected by them. They are as Kipling so eloquently put keeping their heads about them while everyone around them is losing theirs. When the guns start firing and the bombs dropping you remain unaffected but rather do what must be done. What goes on outside doesn’t matter because you have what is going inside under control and you know with that you can meet any challenge. The stoic take action, they are not passive, they are unaffected by adversity not unresponsive to it.
The Wall Upon Which The World Breaks
A man is the wall upon which the world breaks. A man doesn’t get emotional when things happen rather he rushes forward and takes the actions that must be taken. He does what must be done unaffected by the chaos around him. No matter the blow he takes he keeps moving forward. No matter what this world throws at him the stoic man keeps forward ascending to greater and greater heights with every step. He does not let anything deter him from his ultimate goal.
Stoicism is also not that foolish philosophy that says nothing is either good nor bad and to just sit back and wait. A man is active not passive. Sitting back and rationalizing everything is for fools. A man is the mountain unaffected and unconquered by all around it. He rises strong for all to see. The world around the mountain may pass away and be destroyed completely but the mountain will remain strong and unaffected. Let the winds blow, lightning strike, and the storm do what it will. The mountain will always and forever remain the mountain.
Summary
Oak, mountain, rock these have all been used to describe men and for good reason. These things aren’t affected by the environment around it. They are the opposite of weak substances that conform to whatever they are put in. A good analogy to being a man. The world conforms to a man not the other way around. A man through his strength of arm, mind, and heart forges the world around him to what he wants it to be. He is an active part of the world. He makes his mark upon the world while the world cannot leave a scratch on him. Affect the world while remaining unaffected by it.
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-Charles Sledge
