squirrels
Master Don Juan
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2003
- Messages
- 6,627
- Reaction score
- 178
- Age
- 45
Our stories are not told...our songs are not sung...
The other night, I was flipping channels trying to find something good on TV and my nerd side caught a glimpse of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Spike TV. So I figured, "Why not?" The episode was the second part of a two-part episode called "Birthright". If you've ever been a trekkie, you know that two of the most significant races in Roddenberry's little universe are the Klingons and the Romulans. The Klingons are a warrior race who thrive on honor and live for battle, very overtly proud. The Romulans are a more diplomatic race, relying on guile and deceit, more smug and reserved than the boisterous Klingons. The two are traditionally blood enemies.
That's all that needs to be said, really. I won't nerd out and bore you, here. Anyway...
Worf, a klingon character, lands on a planet thought to be uninhabited, looking for survivors from the massacre where his father was killed by the Romulans. What he finds is a Romulan prison camp turned village. Apparently, after the massacre, several Klingon captives were held on this world in secret. They were to be killed, but the Romulan warden of the prison had decided to protect them. So he built a society where the Klingon warrior traditions and customs were abolished and kept secret, in favor of a more diplomatic, comfortable society where the two races could live in peace and harmony...at the cost of the Klingons' way of life.
Worf is taken captive and forced to live in the society, but his Klingon beliefs and stories and way of life influence the children and awaken the Klingon nature within them. They have always been "happy", but they had never felt "alive" until this outsider came and reminded them of their origins and their innate nature. This causes discord among the peaceful society.
Why am I telling you this??
I sat there and watched this show. In my nerd days I thought this was one of the more boring episodes because nothing blew up. But I started to understand the meaning as I noticed the moral dilemma being displayed. These people lived in peace. They had ample food, shelter, recreation...they all got along. At first I couldn't understand why the character Worf, who being one of the main characters in the series is someone you'd be naturally sympathetic to, was going out of his way to disturb this peaceful little village. Then I started to understand that the reason I felt this way is because I, too, am a prisoner of a way of life. My nature, my birthright, has been hidden from me. My stories are not told. My songs are not sung. I live in harmony and comfort with the world around me, but I don't feel ALIVE.
Our prosperity and comfort is earned at the cost of our human spirit. Is the price too great?
Of course we aren't Klingons. But we are MEN.
Men, by nature, are a proud gender. We are warriors. We are born to rise to the challenges placed before us and overcome them. We are hunters and gatherers and bring food for our people. We are soldiers who bring honor to our state. We are workers who grind and toil to give homes to our families. We never stop trying to become stronger, faster, smarter, more savvy, and do the things that previously could not be done.
But something happened in society in the late 20th century. After the war in Vietnam and the peace movement, after the explosion of diplomacy and corporate business, after the rise of feminism and the push for female equality, we started finding that our old nature, our male traditions which helped us deal with the wild, unexpected nature of the world we HAD, started to conflict with the comfortable, predictable world we were trying to BUILD.
So our nature was suppressed, and it has been ever since.
Before, man hunted. He slayed animals, he made fire, and he cooked and ate them. Now, our food is given to us on a plate, hot from a microwave oven. Hunting used to be a sport enjoyed by the greatest of men, now it is laughed at as "redneck" and "uncivilized".
Before, boys would fight in the schoolyard for their honor, possessions, or perhaps for the honor of a young lady. It didn't matter if you won, it just mattered that you stood in the ring amidst the chanting and took your hits like a man. There was honor in that. Everyone won. Now, we're taught that everyone LOSES in a fight. That if you have trouble, you should run to mom or dad or teacher and "tell".
Before, men would march to war to claim new ground. "Manifest destiny", they called it. Imperialism. The Holy Roman Empire. They would earn glory and land for their king and country. Now, war is an abomination. Peace is considered the "mature" way to handle every dispute. Diplomacy runs rampant. Countries such as the USA and China grow stronger not through might, but because other nations fear to "besmirch" their reputation by standing in arms against it. And the large countries are reduced to buffoonery because they must engage in "peace talks" rather than go to war for what they believe is right.
Before, when men went to bars and nightclubs, it was because they had EARNED it. 40 hours of hard work building bridges or skyscrapers, or bringing a good or service to the world, and on Friday they were ready to meet their fellow men, their comrades, over a pitcher of beer and share war stories, stories of trial and tribulation and victory over adversity and survival of the "horror" of work. Now, men take no pride in their work. Work is a "necessary evil" to get the money to go and buy the beer. There are no more "war stories" told...men now preen themselves and go out with "attracting women" as the primary objective in their mind. The f*cking nerve!! Back in those days, it was the WOMEN who would dress and preen themselves and show up at the bars and clubs, hoping to attract the eye of one of these cowboys who had been busting his ass for his keep, who could love and honor and support her. Now the women go out to the bars on the weekends to discuss fashion, and the MEN are the ones seeking approval and validation. Before, a man would approach a woman and say, "I am a man, I am strong, hard-working, and sexual. I will love, honor, and protect you if you give yourself to me." Now he says, "You are a woman. You are beautiful and graceful. Please accept my humble offering of myself and, if it so pleases you, give me some form of affection."
Before, sports like football were contests of gladiators locked in battle and playing for victory, or simply for the love of the sport. Those who watched did so because they could not play, but wanted to revel in the glory of those greats who COULD. Now, a football game is another excuse to drink. Women sit for the atmosphere. Men no longer watch the game, but instead get sh!t-faced and make small talk and try to impress the women. The players themselves play now for money to buy designer jewelry and useless 24" wheels on their humvees which have been converted from a soldier's vehicle to a cushy luxury-ride. Women driving military vehicles to go grocery shopping! Imagine!!
Before, men would buy tools to do handiwork, to build and repair houses, to maintain their lawn and their vehicle. Now our "tools" have been diminuated and labelled "toys". Men would build cars and trucks in quests for power, for adrenaline rushes and to compete with other young men. Now our interest with our vehicles is equated to a woman's fascination with shoes. Our tools would be used to build a shed, or put a new roof on the house, or build furniture, to create a place for ourselves and our family out of the wild, raw materials of nature. Now a power-drill or a table saw is a TOY.
We have become a generation of yes-men. To forward the corporate, egalitarian society we find ourselves imprisoned in, we have been taught to disregard our nature as men. We no longer have a name nor a birthright. Our battles are not fought, our stories are not told. Comfort is the supreme victory. We buy fine clothes and poofy throw-pillows, we live in air-conditioned rooms with 1500 channels of entertainment that we never had to work for, that was piped right into our faces. We fear nothing, not from courage, but from comfort. We are taught NOT to face our fears. We are taught to AVOID them by buying sh!t and by shutting the h3ll up. We secretly hate our bosses, we disagree with their decisions, we were HIRED for our knowledge and our ability, yet we STILL nod in agreement while trying to choke down the bile rising from our stomachs. We doll ourselves up and hit the clubs, then stand there, drink in hand, gazing around aimlessly, avoiding women by WAITING for THEM to come to US, secretly hoping that we won't be faced with the insurmountable task of talking to, nay, trying to IMPRESS a woman, while overtly trying to convince ourselves that it's THEIR fault they aren't being approached.
Men aren't made to try and meet a woman's standards. Men SET women's standards. Why do you think that women jump from man to man to man in today's world? Why do they sleep around? Why aren't they like the women of old? They are LOOKING for a MAN who will SET the standard that THEY must meet. And all they find is boys who are playing games and more boys, disguised as men, who are pining for approval. Who are trying to GET them. MEN do not GET women. They are GOTTEN by them. As the PUAs used to say, "Men build towers, women spin webs." Your pick-ups, your C&F, your neghits, your patterns, your lines, your kino...these are GAMES. They are not our true calling as men. Men are not to be measured by a woman. Women are measured by a man. THAT is the natural order of things.
The other night, I was flipping channels trying to find something good on TV and my nerd side caught a glimpse of Star Trek: The Next Generation on Spike TV. So I figured, "Why not?" The episode was the second part of a two-part episode called "Birthright". If you've ever been a trekkie, you know that two of the most significant races in Roddenberry's little universe are the Klingons and the Romulans. The Klingons are a warrior race who thrive on honor and live for battle, very overtly proud. The Romulans are a more diplomatic race, relying on guile and deceit, more smug and reserved than the boisterous Klingons. The two are traditionally blood enemies.
That's all that needs to be said, really. I won't nerd out and bore you, here. Anyway...
Worf, a klingon character, lands on a planet thought to be uninhabited, looking for survivors from the massacre where his father was killed by the Romulans. What he finds is a Romulan prison camp turned village. Apparently, after the massacre, several Klingon captives were held on this world in secret. They were to be killed, but the Romulan warden of the prison had decided to protect them. So he built a society where the Klingon warrior traditions and customs were abolished and kept secret, in favor of a more diplomatic, comfortable society where the two races could live in peace and harmony...at the cost of the Klingons' way of life.
Worf is taken captive and forced to live in the society, but his Klingon beliefs and stories and way of life influence the children and awaken the Klingon nature within them. They have always been "happy", but they had never felt "alive" until this outsider came and reminded them of their origins and their innate nature. This causes discord among the peaceful society.
Why am I telling you this??
I sat there and watched this show. In my nerd days I thought this was one of the more boring episodes because nothing blew up. But I started to understand the meaning as I noticed the moral dilemma being displayed. These people lived in peace. They had ample food, shelter, recreation...they all got along. At first I couldn't understand why the character Worf, who being one of the main characters in the series is someone you'd be naturally sympathetic to, was going out of his way to disturb this peaceful little village. Then I started to understand that the reason I felt this way is because I, too, am a prisoner of a way of life. My nature, my birthright, has been hidden from me. My stories are not told. My songs are not sung. I live in harmony and comfort with the world around me, but I don't feel ALIVE.
Our prosperity and comfort is earned at the cost of our human spirit. Is the price too great?
Of course we aren't Klingons. But we are MEN.
Men, by nature, are a proud gender. We are warriors. We are born to rise to the challenges placed before us and overcome them. We are hunters and gatherers and bring food for our people. We are soldiers who bring honor to our state. We are workers who grind and toil to give homes to our families. We never stop trying to become stronger, faster, smarter, more savvy, and do the things that previously could not be done.
But something happened in society in the late 20th century. After the war in Vietnam and the peace movement, after the explosion of diplomacy and corporate business, after the rise of feminism and the push for female equality, we started finding that our old nature, our male traditions which helped us deal with the wild, unexpected nature of the world we HAD, started to conflict with the comfortable, predictable world we were trying to BUILD.
So our nature was suppressed, and it has been ever since.
Before, man hunted. He slayed animals, he made fire, and he cooked and ate them. Now, our food is given to us on a plate, hot from a microwave oven. Hunting used to be a sport enjoyed by the greatest of men, now it is laughed at as "redneck" and "uncivilized".
Before, boys would fight in the schoolyard for their honor, possessions, or perhaps for the honor of a young lady. It didn't matter if you won, it just mattered that you stood in the ring amidst the chanting and took your hits like a man. There was honor in that. Everyone won. Now, we're taught that everyone LOSES in a fight. That if you have trouble, you should run to mom or dad or teacher and "tell".
Before, men would march to war to claim new ground. "Manifest destiny", they called it. Imperialism. The Holy Roman Empire. They would earn glory and land for their king and country. Now, war is an abomination. Peace is considered the "mature" way to handle every dispute. Diplomacy runs rampant. Countries such as the USA and China grow stronger not through might, but because other nations fear to "besmirch" their reputation by standing in arms against it. And the large countries are reduced to buffoonery because they must engage in "peace talks" rather than go to war for what they believe is right.
Before, when men went to bars and nightclubs, it was because they had EARNED it. 40 hours of hard work building bridges or skyscrapers, or bringing a good or service to the world, and on Friday they were ready to meet their fellow men, their comrades, over a pitcher of beer and share war stories, stories of trial and tribulation and victory over adversity and survival of the "horror" of work. Now, men take no pride in their work. Work is a "necessary evil" to get the money to go and buy the beer. There are no more "war stories" told...men now preen themselves and go out with "attracting women" as the primary objective in their mind. The f*cking nerve!! Back in those days, it was the WOMEN who would dress and preen themselves and show up at the bars and clubs, hoping to attract the eye of one of these cowboys who had been busting his ass for his keep, who could love and honor and support her. Now the women go out to the bars on the weekends to discuss fashion, and the MEN are the ones seeking approval and validation. Before, a man would approach a woman and say, "I am a man, I am strong, hard-working, and sexual. I will love, honor, and protect you if you give yourself to me." Now he says, "You are a woman. You are beautiful and graceful. Please accept my humble offering of myself and, if it so pleases you, give me some form of affection."
Before, sports like football were contests of gladiators locked in battle and playing for victory, or simply for the love of the sport. Those who watched did so because they could not play, but wanted to revel in the glory of those greats who COULD. Now, a football game is another excuse to drink. Women sit for the atmosphere. Men no longer watch the game, but instead get sh!t-faced and make small talk and try to impress the women. The players themselves play now for money to buy designer jewelry and useless 24" wheels on their humvees which have been converted from a soldier's vehicle to a cushy luxury-ride. Women driving military vehicles to go grocery shopping! Imagine!!
Before, men would buy tools to do handiwork, to build and repair houses, to maintain their lawn and their vehicle. Now our "tools" have been diminuated and labelled "toys". Men would build cars and trucks in quests for power, for adrenaline rushes and to compete with other young men. Now our interest with our vehicles is equated to a woman's fascination with shoes. Our tools would be used to build a shed, or put a new roof on the house, or build furniture, to create a place for ourselves and our family out of the wild, raw materials of nature. Now a power-drill or a table saw is a TOY.
We have become a generation of yes-men. To forward the corporate, egalitarian society we find ourselves imprisoned in, we have been taught to disregard our nature as men. We no longer have a name nor a birthright. Our battles are not fought, our stories are not told. Comfort is the supreme victory. We buy fine clothes and poofy throw-pillows, we live in air-conditioned rooms with 1500 channels of entertainment that we never had to work for, that was piped right into our faces. We fear nothing, not from courage, but from comfort. We are taught NOT to face our fears. We are taught to AVOID them by buying sh!t and by shutting the h3ll up. We secretly hate our bosses, we disagree with their decisions, we were HIRED for our knowledge and our ability, yet we STILL nod in agreement while trying to choke down the bile rising from our stomachs. We doll ourselves up and hit the clubs, then stand there, drink in hand, gazing around aimlessly, avoiding women by WAITING for THEM to come to US, secretly hoping that we won't be faced with the insurmountable task of talking to, nay, trying to IMPRESS a woman, while overtly trying to convince ourselves that it's THEIR fault they aren't being approached.
Men aren't made to try and meet a woman's standards. Men SET women's standards. Why do you think that women jump from man to man to man in today's world? Why do they sleep around? Why aren't they like the women of old? They are LOOKING for a MAN who will SET the standard that THEY must meet. And all they find is boys who are playing games and more boys, disguised as men, who are pining for approval. Who are trying to GET them. MEN do not GET women. They are GOTTEN by them. As the PUAs used to say, "Men build towers, women spin webs." Your pick-ups, your C&F, your neghits, your patterns, your lines, your kino...these are GAMES. They are not our true calling as men. Men are not to be measured by a woman. Women are measured by a man. THAT is the natural order of things.
