Men today are lost because the technological and administrative world in which they find themselves gives them no markers to tell them they are men. In fact, to survive, they must become like women.
The spiritual miasma of modern men was never clearer to me than when I attended a men's conference through my diocese. You started out listening to the tough-talk priest to show this is a REAL men's conference, followed by the guy who did lots and lots of yelling in an attempt to get us revved up. During down time some of the guys would yell William Wallace "freedom!" yells. It all felt like it was a simulacra of a male society without any of their intrinsic qualities. At its core, it was bonding through emotional outbursts, polite group chats, and an intrinsically egalitarian framework. In other words, it was feminine coded. This being said, I knew the organizers and didn't blame them. They simply do not have the ability to make anything better.
The most masculine and entertaining part came when I was outside chatting with a few guys, and one of them rubbed his cigarette on the turf, causing the groundskeeper to come over and yell at him. The guy in turn made a snide remark back and they got in each other's faces. For a minute I wondered if I was going to witness a brawl. While the incident was rude and not something I recommend doing, it was the only time I felt like I was in a male space.
The spiritual miasma of modern men was never clearer to me than when I attended a men's conference through my diocese. You started out listening to the tough-talk priest to show this is a REAL men's conference, followed by the guy who did lots and lots of yelling in an attempt to get us revved up. During down time some of the guys would yell William Wallace "freedom!" yells. It all felt like it was a simulacra of a male society without any of their intrinsic qualities. At its core, it was bonding through emotional outbursts, polite group chats, and an intrinsically egalitarian framework. In other words, it was feminine coded. This being said, I knew the organizers and didn't blame them. They simply do not have the ability to make anything better.
The most masculine and entertaining part came when I was outside chatting with a few guys, and one of them rubbed his cigarette on the turf, causing the groundskeeper to come over and yell at him. The guy in turn made a snide remark back and they got in each other's faces. For a minute I wondered if I was going to witness a brawl. While the incident was rude and not something I recommend doing, it was the only time I felt like I was in a male space.
This, unfortunately, sounds all too familiar.