Be A Man: Part I

*Disclaimer* -- This post may offend some people, and may be misconstrued by some to be sexist. It is not, but you have been fairly warned. Also, this is a really long blog. I may break it up into a couple sections when I get done, but be warned, it is long.

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Over the last couple of days I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a man/woman, in general, and also how it relates to God. Now, in today's society it is not politically correct to talk about gender roles in almost anyway. Everyone is equal, and, so called, "gender roles" are sexist definitions arbitrarily created and imposed by a male driven culture that seeks to keep women subjugated. We make a huge effort to ensure an equal playing field across all realms for both men and women, and in so doing we are eliminating the old gender roles, or at least attempting to. This, I believe, is one of root causes of many of our society's problems.

Let me explain.

If I were to ask you to define gender roles most of you would come up with similar things. Men are the ones who go out and fight, protect and provide, govern, lead, do hard labor, things of that nature. Women are the ones who nurture, care, love, are homemakers, cook meals, sew, things of that nature. However, there is a huge move to eliminate these roles, and it is done under the banner of equality. For one reason or another, there is the viewpoint that women are not equal to men, that they are somewhat lesser than men if they fall into these roles. I am not at all trying to make the argument that men and women do not have equal value, but equal value does not mean that we are the same, and it is a serious problem when we try to make us the same.

Men are supposed to be fighters. Now that does not mean we go out and beat the heck out of people just for fun. It means we are meant to be courageous warriors who fight for our convictions, our families, those we love. We are supposed to be leaders. We are meant to take the initiative and lead in truth and in love. Tied to that, we are meant to govern, whether that be within our families or on a national scale, we are supposed to seek God's will and guidance, and relay that rule, just as Moses did. We are supposed to be providers. We are tasked to ensure that our families, and those in need have food, have shelter, have clothing, have money, if needed. 

However, for many men today, we are no longer fulfilling these roles. We are complacent and lazy. We do not provide for or protect, we do not fight for those we love, and we do not govern. It is not our "role" anymore, but that does not mean we still aren't meant to, it simply means that we have given up our responsibility, and I see more and more women taking on the role that men are meant to fill. Women are the ones leading their families and providing for their families while men ignore their role because it is already being filled.

Now it may seem that I am way off base, because, after all, if men have these roles, then women do too, and it is really not PC to say that only men should be fighting leading, etc... and women should be nurturing, homemaking, etc... Many will say that these roles really do not exist, that they are only created by oppressive systems, but I disagree. If you look at societies, cultures, throughout history, these roles are in existence. While people may not always agree with them, they have been in existence since the beginning of civilization. Also, you will be hard pressed to argue that there is not a fundamental difference between men and women. You can see it in small children. Look at almost any young boy and you will see a rambunctious little kid that gets into everything, scrapes up his knees, tears things apart, and runs around wild. Look at almost any little girl and you will see a kid who enjoys playing with tea sets and dolls, loves princesses and dress up. Now of course this is not a hard and fast line across the board, but generally, girls enjoy dolls, dress up, tea parties, etc... because they are designed to be nurtures. They cloth and provide food for their dolls, parents, friends, etc... and they take care of their "babies." Boys run around, get into things, take control, and somehow manage to create a gun out of everything they get their hands on, even if they have never seen a gun before, because they are designed to be fighters and leaders. You see little boys playing by building forts because they are designed to protect.

Interestingly, I was thinking about this on Tuesday, and I didn't say a word to Manda that day. Wednesday, during lunch, we were talking about why it is that guys can typically lose weight so much faster than girls and Manda said, "It's because guys have a higher metabolism because you are supposed to be out hunting and fighting and gathering food." Out of a completely different conversation, the same concept came up. We have gender roles and we are not meeting them.

Now I am talking a lot about men, because I am one, and so that's what I'm thinking about, but men aren't the only ones not fulfilling their designed roles. In many cases, women are taking on the role of men, which leaves their roles unfulfilled as well, which again, causes tons of problems.

This is a bit of a strange place to stop this blog, but I think I am going to stop it here nonetheless, at least for now, but it is not done and more will be coming. I didn't get into how the elimination of gender roles is causing problems in society, so I will get into that in Part deux, along with more talk about fighting, love, and prizes. So as a final thought, here are the lyrics to the song Courageous, which is what got me to start thinking about this stuff in the first place. And just for fun, some of the lyrics to "Be a Man" from Mulan.

We were made to be courageous

We were made to lead the way

We could be the generation

That finally breaks the chains

We were made to be courageous

We were made to be courageous

We were warriors on the front lines

Standing, unafraid

But now we're watchers on the sidelines

While our families slip away

Where are you, men of courage?

You were made for so much more

Let the pounding of our hearts cry

We will serve the Lord

We were made to be courageous

And we're taking back the fight

We were made to be courageous

And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand

Is on our knees with lifted hands

Make us courageous

Lord, make us courageous

This is our resolution

Our answer to the call

We will love our wives and children

We refuse to let them fall

We will reignite the passion

That we buried deep inside

May the watchers become warriors

Let the men of God arise

We were made to be courageous

And we're taking back the fight

We were made to be courageous

And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand

Is on our knees with lifted hands

Make us courageous

Lord, make us courageous

Seek justice

Love mercy

Walk humbly with your God

In the war of the mind

I will make my stand

In the battle of the heart

And the battle of the hand

In the war of the mind

I will make my stand

In the battle of the heart

And the battle of the hand

We were made to be courageous

And we're taking back the fight

We were made to be courageous

And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand

Is on our knees with lifted hands

Make us courageous

Lord, make us courageous

We were made to be courageous

Lord, make us courageous

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Tranquil as a forest

But on fire within

Once you find your center

you are sure to win

(Be a man)

We must be swift as

the coursing river

(Be a man)

With all the force

of a great typhoon

(Be a man)

With all the strength

of a raging fire

Mysterious as the

dark side of the moon