The Way of Men by Jack Donovan

[Rev.JoelDufresne]

Recommended Read

The Way of Men by Jack Donovan
https://www.jack-donovan.com/sowilo/books/the-way-of-men

What is masculinity?
When someone tells a man to be a man, they mean that there is a way to be a man. A man is not just a thing to be–it is also a way to be, a path to follow and a way to walk.

People are have been talking about "the end of men," "the decline of males," and the so-called "crisis of masculinity" for decades. There are many diagnoses for the troubles men face today, but the chattering class is short on solutions. They refuse to deal honestly with the differences between men and women, and fail to entertain the possibility that their vision of the future offers little of value to average males.

The Way of Men answers the question "What is masculinity?"

Donovan concludes that The Way of Men is the way of the primal survival gang. The simple, amoral, tactical virtues of the gang define our most basic conception of manliness. The "crisis of masculinity" is really a timeless push-and-pull between masculinity and civilization. The world has changed more than men have, and the security and luxury of modernity have put us conflict with our own natures.

Part treatise and part polemic, The Way of Men explains primal masculinity though what he calls "The Tactical Virtues" — Strength, Courage, Mastery and Honor.

Interview: The Way of Men with Jack Donovan
Video from https://www.youtube.com/@the8limbspodcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foHI19ZLiTQ

3 Sentences Summary
A man must show Strength, Courage, Mastery, and Honor
A man needs a gang of other men to fully develop his manhood
Masculinity is at odds with our PC, overly polite society

#1. Strength
Men differentiate themselves from women because, on average, they're stronger.

Jack Donovan says that a woman can be strong as well.
And if she is, great.
But if she's not, nothing will change much. She will still have a good life and she'll have several men lining up happy to help her out.

But if a man is weak, that's a big stain for him that will make him less respected among other men.

#2. Mastery
Mastery is your level of skills in a certain field.

This will depend heavily on the type of gang you're in. If you're a soldier, it might be your endurance or your marksmanship.

If you're a football player, it could be how well you defend or how well you score.
If you're a firefighter, it might be your courage, or your ability to go climb a tree without any gear.

Mastery is equivalent to the "Magician" male archetype in "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover".

#3. Courage
Courage means taking action even when there are risks or dangers.

A man who takes no risks or sacrifices nothing for the gang is a man that cannot be relied upon, says Donovan.

Such a man, makes the gang more vulnerable.

#4. Honor
Honor means caring for your reputation.

Your reputation is tied to the other elements of strength, mastery, and courage.
It is also mostly referring to other men.

He says that when men scoff at other effeminate men, they are often rejecting their weakness and their lack of manly virtues.
The effeminate men represent the complete opposite of what men should be standing for.