THE MAN LIFE

 

                  

                                   Author :  SABUZ AKAASH

As I’ve researched more about the topic, I’ve discovered that humans have been dividing the human lifespan into distinct stages or steps across time and cultures. Depending on the culture, certain expectations and norms were established for each stage to help people know how to direct their lives. These stages of life, which ran from birth until death, served as a rough roadmap on how to live a good life. 

Adolescence:

This stage of manhood can simply be defined as wanting the privileges of adulthood without the responsibility. Adolescence is not so much an age range as it is a mindset. Because of this, some sociologists have suggested we are in an age of extended adolescence, which goes out to mid-thirties. The surefire recipe for extended adolescence is coddling mothers and passive fathers. Some have even suggested adolescence is especially rampant in middle to upper-middle-class homes. The clearest example of adolescent behavior is “men” who choose to cohabitate, where they can get the privileges of a committed relationship without the responsibilities (of course that’s not the driving reason for every instance).

Adulthood:

This stage can simply be defined as embracing responsibility. at this point we can call this person not just a male, but a man. They don’t make excuses. Instead, they take responsibility. Man has emerged from adolescence when they take ownership of their lives and others they have chosen to commit to (spouse, kids, etc). They do hard things like get a job, keep a job, pay bills, and contribute to the well-being of others. Unlike boyhood, they are not marked by a consumer mindset, but a contributors mindset. They bring life to others.

Mentor:

Develop a track record of embracing responsibility faithfully, and other people will take notice, asking you to mentor them. Mentor has its origins in Greek mythology where Odysseus was headed off to war and wanted someone to care for his son Telemachus. That duty was assigned to an older, wiser, responsible man named Mentor. Adolescents care about the now. Mentors care about the future. Adolescents can’t get past themselves. Mentors are focused on others. Mentors want to multiply themselves for the good of others and society. Show me a person who is too busy to have consistent cups of coffee and meals with younger men, and I will show you a person who has stagnated, if not regressed in their manhood journey.

 Patriarchs:

The final stage of a man’s life is that of patriarch. One does not become a patriarch because they have aged into it. Oh no. Society does not need more old people. We need patriarchs. A patriarch is a person who has leveraged the odometer of their life, to invest down in succeeding generations for a time they will not see. If you are 60+ you should be holding court at the local diner, with a long line of young men wanting to glean from your life.

The last word:

Life is all about seasons (Ecclesiastes 3). The man who is aware of the season they are in is best positioned to make the most of it for the benefit of themselves and others. Men need awareness, intentionality, and other men to make the most of this process. Every great man I have met has had another great man inspire them in their journey of manhood. That great man who inspired you was aware of their season and intentionally leveraged it for your benefit. Let’s pay it forward.  

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