Day 2: Manliness has been defined in different ways in different times. What does manliness mean to you?
Day 2 and I already see how my idea of using the Art of Manliness article on Jumpstarting Your Journaling can lead to some odd topics for a blog post. Regardless, I think I can do this.
The engineer in me wants to simply provide the defition: the essence of being a man. But that is not the point of the task.
I think manliness, as a traditional concept, invokes thoughts of bravery, strength, confidence. That is likely how I would have left my answer when I was younger. But now I think manliness is a bit more complex. I see manliness as a set of characteristics, or behaviors, that are displayed with more finess. Manliness is being confident in your ability to accept criticism. Manliness is showing respect to others when they disagree with you. Manliness is not being ashamed to show love, fear, or sorrow. Manliness is working for the betterment of your community, standing up for your beliefs, accepting responsibility. I guess if I had to boil manliness down to a few words today, they would be: confident, disciplined, virtuous, inspiring.