Stuck In The Rut
When I think of warriors, I think of the Mexica in jaguar headdresses about to kill some Spaniards. I think of Spartans wielding spears going into battle with Trojans.
The concept of a warrior, is for me, more of an archetype. That archetype, in my head, is usually masculine and is driven by logic. They are willing to fight. They have war on the brain.
This archetype is continually glorified by the brotherhood of man. Who wouldn’t want to be regaled in armor, holding spears and a quiver full of arrows? We love that stuff. It’s in our blood.
But who exactly are we fighting? What are we fighting?
Is our obsession with war a byproduct of our genetics toward aggression? Or is it social programming passed down the generations?
Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s neither.
Either way, we are often always prepared to do battle.
I see this warrior mindset exalted in a number of social media accounts I follow put forth by male influencers who value the control of emotion and the fighting spirit in all aspects of life, including marriage and fatherhood.
Some of their positions are valid. Their quote memes sometimes resonate. Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in war. Or something like that.
But how useful is this mindset now? Does it still hold up in our society today?
Do the guys who write and tout this stuff drive their squeaky clean trucks into the Starbucks drive through ready to kill anyone for their lattes?
I get the need for a warrior mindset. Yet, I challenge men to think of ourselves as more versatile than a Greek foot soldier. Does constantly playing that role help our families?
After all, isn’t it just playing anyway?
Men are human, which means men are fluid. Some days we’re warriors, other days we’re magicians. Other days we’re philosophers, and some days we’re carpenters, politicians, doctors, or shamans.
And sometimes we embody these archetypes all in one day. I mean, I know I can’t wear my jaguar headdress to work, nor does my wife really like when I revert to a politician. But my kids, they love the magician. I do too.
If you’re stuck in your warrior rut, try that one on and see what happens. The encroaching armies disappear like that.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: Unsplash
