eating at the back of my mind.

This is abit on the philosophical level of things but what makes a man?
Is it his origin?
The way he springs to life?
His strength?

Or is it perhaps something all together different?

My father told me men are forged in the fires of Hell but what else do people feel what other views are there.

A "man" is defined as such by those who surround him. It is simply a title denoting status.


Ultimately, "men" do not exist in and of themselves, but are created through the will of others.

I haven't heard that one before but I like that. I tend to isolate my self and surround my self with the more stealthy types...

In accordance to what your saying what kind of man am i?

a "man" is defined by everything they do.

then again so are all people rofl.

Natani Wrote:I haven't heard that one before but I like that. I tend to isolate my self and surround my self with the more stealthy types...

In accordance to what your saying what kind of man am i?

You asked what constitutes a man, to which I said there is no inherent meaning or value in such a term beyond what others attach to it. You are not a "man" until those around you see you as such, as the term only matters when dealing with others.

It can be as arbitrary as a birthdate to something as specific as a Rite of Passage.


I do not attach significance to the title and, thus, I naturally do not apply it to others. In context to the discussion, I can no more comment on what kind of "man" you are than I can compliment you on being a mollusk; I see you as neither.

Rain you actually got me to laugh abit but I can certainly understand what you mean and I respect it.

And now I am going to proceed to answer in entirely ridiculous fashion:
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Now that that is over. Onto a more serious sort of answer!

Good question, a question that has changed from society to society from the dawn of time. It varies by age and by accomplishment from culture to culture but the one uniform characteristic is the change in expectation.

When I got my Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America a good long while back (save the jokes for later), I was asked something in the board of review. I was asked how I will be different tomorrow if they decide to approve my Eagle rank.

I replied saying I would be no different. The tasks I have done and the lessons that I have learned and more importantly the person that I am as of this moment as a result of the trail to Eagle or the other experiences I have enjoyed or suffered along the way are done. Taking this rank will make me no more or less worthy of it, but if you do believe I am worthy of this rank, sign that paper and rest assured I will be the same worthy individual tomorrow when I wake up, and will strive to stay that way for as long as I bear that rank.

So to get back to manhood. There is no quantitative value for when you are man and when you are not. You simply are, or you aren't. Once you become a man, you really cannot truly go back to being a boy.

Terro Wrote:Once you become a man, you really cannot truly go back to being a boy.

While I largely agree with everything else you have mentioned, Terro, I must disagree here. Continuing from my own statements, it is possible for one to exit one culture (in which one is deemed a man) and enter another (in which one is not yet so). The state of being a man is determined through the cultural definitions and subsequent acknowledgement of one's peers as such; it can hardly be considered unchanging, and it stands to reason that even within one's own culture one may no longer be seen as a man either through one's own future actions (thus invalidating your perceived worth as an individual) or simply through an evolution of the culture itself (thus invalidating the perceived worth of your actions).

Touche...

Very good point

Or perhaps its deeper then society around us and is actually both a state of mind and of spirit that must be brought out like that of maturity rather than that of the people around us. But it is still answered many ways by many people.