It’s an image that all men fantasize about. We’ve all imagined ourselves the secret agent, sneaking into some foreboding lair, evading traps, overpowering guards, picking locks, hacking computers on the way to a thunderous gunfight, a massive explosion and a daring escape with an exotic woman so overawed by our magnificence that she succumbs to our desires as soon as the last echoes of destruction fade away.
It’s an exciting image that the vast majority of us unfortunately will never really believe we could portray. Nothing about the life of the modern American man smacks of excitement or intrigue. Much of the time we don’t even seem necessary. Our pacified world does not require us as protectors, at least for the moment. The marvels of electricity, hydraulics and the internal combustion engine have reduced the need for our strong backs. We are no longer the primary bread winners. In a world with no absolute truths our innate sense of justice and logic is not needed. It gets worse too. Just this week it was announced that science has cloned the first human embryo. Soon we will not even be necessary as sperm donors. Women could live their entire lives without ever once noticing the lack of a man in it, women who a mere century ago couldn’t produce enough to provide for themselves let alone any offspring they might have. And so the plight of the modern man seems somewhat less than his fantasies; marginalized in every sphere he seems more a dependent relative who has to be as untroublesome as possible to avoid being thrown out on his ear than a secret agent saving the world from destruction and tyranny. And yet most men are highly skilled operatives waging high stakes battles whose outcomes carry heavy consequence. With traps and pitfalls on every side most men take on powerful challenges and make deep sacrifices, many times unrecognized even by the people who benefit from them the most. In fact is there any better analogy for being a husband and father than that of a commando parachuting into danger armed only with his wits and what weapons he can carry to save the world for generations to come? Maybe it seems silly or melodramatic to someone not engaged in the fight. The life of a modern man seems like anything but an epic struggle, but appearances are deceiving, like a modern day Bruce Wayne his apparent indolence and irrelevance are a cover for a selfless warrior fighting unending battles in secret for the good of others. If the world truly needs heroes, then it’s in luck. There are millions of them everywhere one looks, fathers and husbands who keep fighting, even when the way is unclear and victory is uncertain. It’s a shame most of them will never see themselves that way.
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AuthorThe Revolting Man lives at the end of a dirt road at the bottom of a hill at the top of a valley in the foothills of the Appalachians. Archives
December 2016
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