One of my favorite Internet sites is The Art of Manliness. I was fortunate to find it in my ‘net travels prior to it’s inclusion in the GBBL (thanks, North!), but that doesn’t matter. It’s authored by a nice couple who believe that many of the traditions normally passed on generationally have been interrupted by the stuff of modern society – political correctness, lack-of-gentility, the isolation of Internet use, and so on.
They’ve posted articles of an interest to this audience about how to shoot and clean firearms, sharpen knives, and even more traditional skills, like how to use a straight razor – and sharpen it!
Sometimes, they have guest posts, and it’s one of those I’m addressing today. A recent essay (at the link, above) is about toughness. In this age of political correctness, toughness is largely viewed as a negative. But it’s something that needs to be (re)acquired by us if we as a Nation are to survive.
When discussing the Colorado shooting with someone the other day, I was told about a video of an earlier shooting wherein a father abandoned his daughter in a video store to save his own ass. It took a stranger to place himself between the girl and the shooter to stop her from being killed. The fact that any adult, especially a father, would value his life over a child’s makes me physically ill.
We need to get tough, again. And teach this as a value to our children.
Life can be painful. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. Obviously we don’t need to abuse our charges, but need to show them by example how we handle the stuff of Life. How we handle challenges.
As author Marcus Brotherton states:
One harmful mindset that can keep a man from fulfilling his calling and potential is self-coddling. This is when he convinces himself he deserves a break, and runs to something that ultimately harms himself.
And society as a whole. There have been no news reports of anyone rushing to stop to Aurora shooter. I think the generation prior to 1950 would have had several.
Bueller? Bueller?
“There have been no news reports of anyone rushing to stop to Aurora shooter”
It is Colorado… I have not yet found a way to describe people who live in Colorado,after visiting a friend who moved there in the 80′s. They seem to be refugees from the left and right coasts. So the ‘no stops’ is really no suprise to me.
Posted by Richard Argentieri | July 25, 2012, 7:50 amAnd how said is that.
Posted by guffaw | July 25, 2012, 7:47 pmI like to respond to something important that I take from what you’re saying. I think we need to build self responsibility. And in many ways, as a life coach, that’s what I do for a living. Although my work sounds like it’s very soft, in some ways it is about toughening up. Not being tough in the angry and begrudging way, but in a way that believes in our own strengths and allows us to stick to our goals even when the going gets tough. it’s about getting stronger. And we need to teach everyone, especially children, how to develop their own strengths. That’s the way we build confidence and that’s the way we become successful.
Posted by lifecoachmarie | July 25, 2012, 11:48 amLCM – Thank you for your perspective. It’s nice that others than the usual gun rights crowd (MY people) are reading and commenting. Self responsibility is a great way to put it. – gfa
Posted by guffaw | July 25, 2012, 7:53 pmWell said… And the left has done it’s best to ‘breed’ toughness out of boys/men with the PCism and metrosexuality…
Posted by Old NFO | July 25, 2012, 5:17 pmThanks. I agree.
Posted by guffaw | July 25, 2012, 7:55 pmGuff, the generation prior to 1950 would have taken him down in no time flat.
Posted by kx59 | July 25, 2012, 6:32 pmPerhaps even prior to 1965 (?)
Posted by guffaw | July 25, 2012, 7:56 pm