Three Men in Nature

We set off at 845 a.m., heading north-west for half a day of hiking at Burnt Meadow Mountain. I think each of us may have had different reasons for getting out of dodge, even if only for a few hours. For me it was a chance for fresh surroundings, the calmness one only finds in the mountains and room to reflect on relationships and job opportunities. For that it was a perfect half day.

As we climbed through the cool forrest towards the top, the subject of my last entry came up: Man-ness. We were, all three of us, not fitting the image of what men should be (as I defined it in the last entry), and to some degree, we are all suffering as a result. As we talked I realized that what was missing from my argument, my last entry, is the fact that it is not the car as such that causes the stress. Rather, it is the lack of independence that comes in a commuter society when you lack your own transportation. It means that as men without a car, we are essential dependent on others. Independence is considered a masculine trait, and dependence is thus feminine.

As Men without this essential component of masculinity, independence, we are castrated. It is of course, a constructed reality, and not something we need to be subject to, and I think the three of us do fairly well in bucking the trend. Being aware of this fact is half of the battle and essential to be able to counter act such false standards.