tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124283.post5218294327537331388..comments2023-10-23T11:58:43.116-05:00Comments on Rhetoric & Rockets: Barthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01956864183240824354noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3124283.post-70855875156744072872011-09-03T07:39:21.648-05:002011-09-03T07:39:21.648-05:00These days, far too many of us have failed to meet...These days, far too many of us have failed to meet the first criterion necessary for becoming good men, namely, becoming men. Rather than striving toward self-reliance, we jockey for approval by becoming cooperative herd members. Rather than embracing accountability, we have begun blaming circumstances beyond our control for the condition of our lives. Rather than choosing the path less taken, we opt for the open-ended grave that is the rut. We have eschewed hiking and appreciating wilderness for air-conditioned buildings and electronic gadgetry. <br /><br />Most of all, we have isolated ourselves from other men. We no longer have men’s groups where we can gather to learn from other’s experiences, to encourage ethics among peers, to laugh, to tell ribald tales, and occasionally, to drink a bit too much. We now have few opportunities to learn about propriety, decency, integrity, or commitment from older men who have been there and lived to tell the tale of it. Men have lost a great resource, the camaraderie of other men, and society reflects that loss. <br /><br /><br />http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_if.htmlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09378371835272817142noreply@blogger.com