Forum Post: Living in Integrity, Occupy Manhood/Womanhood, Men’s Movement, Spiritual Connection? Connection to Self?

Open to consider the cultural or media images of manhood or adulthood? Not an expert, just opening up ideas. Grassroots movements can cover tons of ground: film, books, internet, cartoons, TV series, history, politics, almost without limit. Jason Bourne in film is not actually the deeper character from the novel for instance. If you watch the Bourne Identity trilogy in film, you sort of see a smart but shallow man that volunteered to advanced Military or CIA training. This is actually a dangerous, simple, Icon of a US fighting man… A man that fights for no reason, but eventually fights back for revenge.

How many have heard of the Men’s Movement before? How many knew there was a long running women’s movement? You could fill a book case from floor to ceiling with women’s movement books. However the Men’s movement has had little interest and few leaders. I don’t really know much about the Oath Keepers or Promise Keepers movements … my material predates those movements. Robert Bly, Joseph Campbell, Robert Moore, and Douglas Gillette were older writers exploring this area. One I really liked was Thomas Moore and his work “Care of the Soul”. One that touches on Alcoholsim is by Archie Fire Lame Deer & Richard Erdoes, called “Gift of Power”.

Background on US Manhood, Living with Integrity, Standing for Something

1) What does it mean to deal with life? Maybe that is the basic question. We grow up in either sex or are brought up with expectations of our sex. Any problems here? Well, yes there are good roles models as we individually perceive them. But we know from social problems that there are many people who didn’t have both parents, a loving family, or had trouble with issues like drugs & alcohol. Social problems are a constant in the USA. Perhaps you can even say problems in the US are worse than other countries due to high incarceration rates and … the devastation that brings to citizens.
2) How about the 2008 Financial Crisis? And how about the long string of Accounting and Financial Scandals in corporations in the USA. (Hubris?)
3) American Exceptionalism? (Hubris?)
4) Military Adventures we call Foreign Wars, but which are undeclared by Congress, funded by borrowed money, contracted out to wealthy corporations, and …Which can’t be proven to actually represent a “true” threat to the shores of the USA … going all the way back to the Korean Conflict. (Hubris?)
5) Military Service is a good thing. This can’t be refuted. Military service opens doors for man or women, provides education, experience, funds for college and opportunities for college as well. Military service is seen as one of the last remaining ways to be an honorable man.
6) So how does a man or woman put himself on the path for a good life, if not by joining the military?
7) How about our Christian Values, church participation, Christian Projects, …. Living in a way to show you have a code… show that you have a kind of morals/ethics … living in a way that not only provides some sense of honor, but also brings respect in the eyes of your elders, your community leaders, your peers.

Problems with behavior in Forums or Salons

A) Name Calling, this has got to be counterproductive, creates friction, creates animosities, and shuts off the transfer of ideas and discussion. (This ain’t manhood)
B) Use of derogatory words, cuss words, inflammatory language. (This ain’t manhood)
Problems with discussion which excludes some reference to principals or deeper values
A) He said, she said exchange does not educate or transfer ideas, the discussion is flat, a standoff.
B) Links are often valuable, but sometimes simple language is needed to focus in on the idea being transmitted. In other words if you attach a link, it doesn’t mean readers know what you mean.
C) Statements to change the US Law are empty, unless you state more about the values and deeper thoughts that have persuaded you personally. A knee Jerk reaction has as much value as writing without cited principals, values invoked, or discussion of the background you have dug up.

What do we Respect, What Role Models Show us, Is Love & Relationships, Connection to the Land & Community, higher Values than “Work”, “Pursuit of Work”, “Sacrifice for Work”, and things we have to do for the government or corporation?

I think the value of a person is probably to be found taking care of family, relationships, community, and building loving communities. Below is a list of addictions:

1) Work can be seen as an addiction or sickness … as US Corporate men are willing to do anything to provide advancement for themselves and benefit the corporation.
2) Gambling, Cheating on your spouse, take you out of integrity, you can be an addict or ill.
3) Drugs and Alcohol, separate you from other people in our culture for the most part.
4) Escape from reality, TV, Movies, Computer Games, Internet usage, Food, obsessions, ETC.
5) Addiction to excitement, action movies, computer games, guns, trouble, trouble with police, stealing, shoplifting, ETC.

**Not everyone is going to make it to Living with Integrity. Everyone can live with Integrity. Maybe it starts with Taking a Stand (like the commercial says). Maybe it has to include a kind of spiritualism that you yourself choose and hold yourself to. We can’t always trust the government or the church, but we can claim our own spiritual life … and live in integrity.