The Best Men Are Dangerous Men

This is the definition of the modern man: “Traits like integrity, authenticity, and how he cares for himself and those around him are integral to how a man perceives his own masculinity today — versus physical strength, power, and affluence that prior generations may have prioritized.”

The end of this definition is a misinterpretation of what manhood has been throughout history. Real men have always had integrity and trustworthiness, and have cared about more than just themselves. It’s unfortunate that many people are viewing masculinity from such a narrow lens.

When I say a narrow lens, I mean from the lens of the “Toxic Masculinity Culture” that exists today. However, men who promote and are involved in this behavior are not examples for boys and other men to emulate.

The best men throughout history have always been the most dangerous because they were men of belief in God, truthfulness, and courage (based on knowledge not ignorance), and they were passionate about life, love, family, and community.

Many of these men were deemed as dangerous because they could articulate their ideas and belief in an eloquent way. Due to this, they were feared by the elite of society. You had truly dangerous men who also possessed the art of eloquence.

Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Ayatollah Khomeini, just to name a few. However, the difference between them and men who were viewed as dangerous was their actions. It became clear, that the men mentioned above and their ilk were dangerous due to their actions and behavior. Not only because their rhetoric was dangerous, but their actions supported their dangerous speech.

“Eloquence is the power to translate a truth into language perfectly intelligible to the person to whom you speak.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

On the positive side of this coin, the best men have always combined good character and eloquence. In order to make this point clear, let’s start with the top of the masculine chain. These were the men that God chose to send to mankind throughout history.

We must start with the Prophets and Messengers. They were not only the epitome of masculinity in character and conduct, but they were also eloquent in speech. These are the signs of the best men. Their speech and conduct are in concert.

I’ve asked these questions many times and I’ve encouraged everyone to send me evidence if they have some. Have we ever heard of the Prophets and Messengers being unreliable or untrustworthy?

Have we ever heard of them being criminals? Have we ever heard of them verbally or physically abusing their wives? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding no.

I’m mentioning this because now more than ever, boys and men need to know who the best men to emulate truly are. Society viewed them as dangerous because they called them to believe in God, good character, fair dealings, and being good to their wives, children, society, and mankind in general.

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more ‘manhood’ to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.” ~ Alex Karras

We should seek to instill these traits in our young men. The beauty of good character, a strong intellect, and the ability to coherently articulate thoughts and ideas allow the best men to positively affect whoever they come in contact with and can inspire those from afar.

Check out A Treatise On Cultivating Manhood