The Art of Manliness - Manvotionals - Brett McKay [0]
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Brett McKay is a man. Kate McKay loves manly men. Together, these partners in crime run Art of Manliness.com, one of the largest men’s websites on the Internet. They are also the authors of The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man. The husband and wife team resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with their son Gus.
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Dedication
To Gus
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Introduction
Chapter One
MANLINESS
Chapter Two
COURAGE
Chapter Three
INDUSTRY
Chapter Four
RESOLUTION
Chapter Five
SELF-RELIANCE
Chapter Six
DISCIPLINE
Chapter Seven
HONOR
Afterword
INTRODUCTION
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In our first book, The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man, we presented men with a manual that largely focused on the how-tos, the important skill sets of well-rounded manliness. The book served as a handbook of practical, manly know-how.
But the other—and even more important—side of manliness is the mindset, the cultivation of the inner man.
Of course it’s easier to explain what a man should do, than what a man should be. To discuss the latter, we must first get at the heart of what true manliness really means.
While the definition of manliness has been endlessly discussed and dissected in scholarly tomes, our definition of manliness is actually quite straightforward. And ancient.
For the ancient Greeks, the ideal life was one filled with eudaimonia. What’s eudaimonia? Translators and philosophers have given different definitions for it, but the best way to describe eudaimonia is the attainment of “flourishing,” through, as Aristotle put it, “doing and living well.” Greek philosophers believed that eudaimonia was achieved through the practice of arete. Translated as “virtue,” arete is better understood as excellence and was sometimes used interchangeably with andreia, or “manliness.” The man of arete maximized his full potential in body, mind, and soul; despite setbacks and challenges, he effectively used his abilities to fulfill his life’s purpose and achieve a real and lasting legacy. Thus for the ancient Greeks, manliness meant being the best man you could be.
The Latin word for manliness or masculine strength was virtus (this is where we get the English word “virtue”). The Roman idea of virtus at first centered on valor and courage, and later came to encompass other qualities such as fortitude, industry, and dutifulness. So for the ancient Romans, manliness meant living a life of virtue.
So our definition of manliness, like that of the ancients, is simple: striving for virtue, honor, and excellence in all areas of your life, fulfilling your potential as a man, and being the absolute best brother, friend, husband, father and citizen you can be.
Living a life of virtuous excellence is harder than learning how to tie a tie or start a fire, but no other pursuit will be as supremely rewarding.
As this point, some of you may be thinking, “Wait, wait, shouldn’t women be striving to live the virtuous life as well?”
Absolutely.
There are two ways to define manhood. One way is to say that manhood is the opposite of womanhood. The other is to say that manhood is the opposite of childhood.
The former seems to be quite popular, but it often leads to a superficial kind of manliness. Men who subscribe to this philosophy end up cultivating a manliness concerned with outward characteristics. They worry about whether x, y, or z is manly and whether the things they enjoy and do are effeminate because many women also enjoy them.
We advocate the latter philosophy; manhood is the opposite of childhood and concerns one’s inner values. A child is self-centered, fearful, and dependent. A man is bold, courageous, respectful, independent and of service to others. Thus a boy becomes a man when he matures and leaves behind childish things. Likewise, a girl becomes a woman when she matures into real adulthood.
Both genders are capable of and should strive for virtuous, human excellence. When a woman lives the virtues, that is womanliness; when a