Manly men, doing manly things

If you haven't yet, take a peek at my "Links to look at", to the right.  You'll find "The Art of Manliness".  My first reaction was to not give it too much thought or consideration, mostly due to the site title.  I presumed it would be one of those sort of sites that makes sure the men of today stay as manly as possible, while also helping to assure that there are manly men for years to come.  A site full of links to fantasy football, ESPN, ESPN2, UnderArmor, NIKE, AXE, Play Boy, etc. you get the idea.    

I'll admit, I was dead wrong in my presumption, ending up finding a site I enjoy visiting and have been following on social media.  The tag line says it all: "Reviving the Lost Art of Manliness".  The site drips of "manly things", with a spattering of "hipster-ness".  The articles are put into categories pertaining to wide variety of topics such as:  "Dress and Grooming" and "A Man's Life".  

I really enjoy the combination of hearkening back to "the good old days" with "being a man today".  As you know, I'm a history dork, so the fact that there is a series of articles just on "How to Shave Like Your Grandpa", yeah, that was enough to pull me in!  

But to look at what truly "reviving" this art of being a man means, many articles urge us to simply stop trying to reinvent the wheels that the men of the past built, experimented with and rode on.  Avoid falling into certain modern trends or abandon them entirely in order to make yourself happier, look better, cook better, etc.  A great example, is in the aforementioned article on shaving:  how using a double-edge razor can save you money while giving you a great shave.  It's plain and simple "how-to" and even "where-to" get supplies you'll need.  

I'm curious, as Ben gets older, what he'll perceive "being a man" and manly, is about, how to achieve it and ultimately how to project it.  Of course, my goal is to direct him all the way, as best I can, without smothering him in "do this, this way, all the time".  He will have to be his own man, in the end.  

My next post will go into the life's incidents, experiences and people who influenced my perception of what being a man is as I grew up and what I'd like to get across to my son.  I think it will be a good exercise for me and might be a good read for you!