This comment was from Ecstasy on the post “Are We All Becoming Women?” by Tom Matlack.

It is interesting that the journey to claim masculinity is never over. I’m in my early twenties, so seeing the perspective of older men is always interesting to me.

The fact that we are ever concerned with realizing our own masculinities is what I believe define us as men. To strive constantly to become good men, we are expressing our manhood. It is about the path to discovering our own concept of manhood, not what everyone else tells us. For me, it’s living in accordance to my values: truth, courage, integrity, and compassion. It’s about facing life’s challenges, but never giving up. It’s about living openly, even when it hurts like hell.

One last point I want to bring up is how you invoked the “booze and girls” as a pinnacle of manhood. I realize it was a satire, but it points to a huge misconception our contemporary Western culture holds about masculinity, namely, that these forms of immature masculinity are ideal.

Keep fighting the good fight,
Ecstasy