The Men of Iron Minute
by Chad Zueck | Director of Content Creation
Boys Don’t Twirl
In 1986, George Leonard, contributing editor to Esquire Magazine and a former WW2 fighter pilot, asked a group of Green Berets how they define the ideal warrior. They said things like, “Loyalty, patience, intensity, calmness, compassion, and will. They agreed that a true warrior knows himself, knows his limitations… and according to the elite fighting men, self-mastery is a warrior’s central motivation. He is always practicing, always seeking to hone skills, to become the best possible instrument for accomplishing his mission. The warrior takes calculated risks and tests himself repeatedly. He believes in something greater than himself: a religion, a cause.”[1] Calculating, courageous and caring, Green Berets display heroism.
In my youth, superheroes, like Green Berets, were an archetype of heroism and manliness. These superheroes were bold examples of honor, courage, and service to others. All these lit me up like the afterburner of a fighter jet ready for take off! I longed to be honorable and courageous, and I knew that these had some connection with helping others. Healthy boys dream of nobility, and men are awakened when watching movies like Braveheart, Gran Torino, and Lord of the Rings. Innate to every man is a quest for our strength, a yearning for significance, and an adventure that requires that strength. Masculine men display specific characteristics. As I said, “Being a man is biological and being masculine is actionable.”[2]
Boys don’t twirl in front of mirrors. They flex their muscles.
Boys know that they are supposed to be strong but are often unsure why.
Men grow. Men serve. Men master. Men care.
Becoming like Jesus.
Luke 2:52, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.[3]
Be a mentor.
Find a mentor.
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[1] Gordan Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul, pp. 118-119. (https://yale64.org/remembrances/cirie.pdf)
[2] The MOI Minute is called So you Want to Be a Masculine Man from the week of June 20-24.
[3] The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), Lk 2:52.