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Given the unsettling political and cultural changes this past year, it is clear that 2018 will call for new rules and tools and to ride out these tumultuous waves. 2018 will be a new game for men. Our old tricks and coping mechanisms will not work as effectively as they did in the past. New times bring new demands—and this will call for some new skills sets from men to cope with our careers, our lovers, our families, our very existence. 2018 is a brand new game.
The concept of masculinity is culturally specific and ever changing. Globalism brings with it greater exposure to paradigms of manhood that can be far different than the core culture one is used to. This chaotic atmosphere is unsettling to many men. Many of them have a knee-jerk reaction and pull back into the traditional role playing of “manhood” that they grew up with—what their brothers, uncles, and fathers modeled for them. They feel safe there. 2018 is not a good time to be if you crave safety. Go hide in your grandpa’s bomb shelter if that is what you really need.
Flexibility and adaptation are the core traits one must cultivate to survive and thrive in 2018. Regardless of your political beliefs, economic standing, career track, or relationship status — get ready for change. That is about the only thing you can count on. That is more guaranteed that the rising of the sun.
Times of change and unpredictability are unsettling for most men. Generally, we can cope if we know what is up and coming. In 2018, no one knows what is coming. The value of the U.S. dollar is dropping, China is becoming a more formidable economic powerbase than the U.S., the geo-political stage is volatile, our environment is comprised. These are the kind of times when younger men begin to ask themselves if they should even have children. Who wants to bring a vulnerable young life into such a chaotic mess as we have in this nation in 2018?
“Every generation always thought their times were rough. Things are no worse than with previous generations,” some may say. True, there are challenges to every era that cause some of the more pessimistic among them to question whether these times are end of humankind (The Great Depression, WWII, the Atomic Bomb, etc.) Yet, no other generation has dealt with population expansion, urbanization, global warming, militant fundamentalist resurgence, and human slavery to the degree that we are today. As Bob Dylan sang way back in the 60’s, “The Times They are a Changing.”
2018 is a brand new game. As men, we must ask ourselves this pointed question — “How are we going to handle it?” Old tricks and strategies do not work. Your grandpa’s and dad’s tool kit are not adequate to fix the broken things these days. Get your head out of the mists of nostalgia. We are not going back to the way it was. We either get ACTIVE and take control of our destinies, or — we capitulate to the passions of power hungry elites who could care less whether you or your children live or die.
2018 is not only a year of cataclysmic change, it is a year of expansive opportunity. This is your chance to learn new skills that will benefit your body, mind and spirit. You (and your children) can learn wilderness survival skills and learn to get closer to the rhythms of the earth. You can learn a mind-body practice that can help you deal with your stress constructively, take control of your health, and cultivate your own innate intuition and energy—like Qigong, Tai Chi, or Yoga. You can learn a martial art, a new language, the fundamentals of a new career, start your own business, etc.
Or, you can blame Trump (or Obama), blame your boss, blame your lover, blame your mama and your papa, you can even blame God — anything to avoid the terrifying truth you may not have the courage to face; to a large degree, your own personal happiness and fulfillment lies in your own decisions and actions. Period. Get over it. Accept it. Then get moving.
2018 is a brand new game. It will have new rules so you will need new moves. Take the initiative and make 2018 the year you took hold of the reigns of your life, accepted the responsibility of honing your gifts, and exercise them to make this earth a more harmonious and loving place. Gold is born in fire. Kings rise from the dust when the storm winds blow. Take advantage of these tumultuous changing times. Turn uncertainty into a catalyst to bring out the true inner-you—this is your gift to the world in this brand new game of 2018.
Previously published on the author’s website blog, FrankBlaney.com
Feature Photo: Getty Images
Inset photo (the father & kids beach scene) is taken by the author Frank Blaney and is his personal photo.
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The role of men is changing in the 21st century. Want to keep up?
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