A Mans Rights of Passage

No man is self-made. We are the product of our mentors and social learning.

"Social learning theory is the view that people learn by observing others."

There are 123 suicides per day. 7 in 10 suicides are committed by white men. But why? Our ancestry has the answer. 

Step back to the Stone Age and witness your greatest relative achieve his first game. A tiger, a mammoth or a measly little bird. The first hunt is seen as the venture into manhood. 

Notice societies obsession with conformity. See that there's a set sequence of events that one is "destined" to fulfil. Education, work, marriage, kids and inevitable death.

When we steer away from societies norms, we become subject to ridicule or judgment. Judgment may come from friends and family. Sometimes this judgment is born out of love and their desire for you to be happy. 

Most of the time, this judgment is self-inflicted.

We concern ourselves with our inability to fit with the social norms. We wonder why we are unable to find "the perfect match" or earn enough cash to pay a mortgage.

Some of us are different. Some of us don't desire monogamy and parenthood. Many of us judge ourselves for not wanting these things.

Without achieving these feats, we are without some rites of passage. These 21st century passages are brittle.

In the Stone Age, the rights of passage into manhood was simple and brief. One kill. One rock thrown, one club swung or one spear penetrating the skin of an animal. Now, our rights of passage are a full-time commitment with the possibility of unhappiness.

One in three married couples get divorced. This is of course the destruction of our passage into manhood which may lead to a deep depression. 

As we venture from the Stone Age to the modern-day Information Age, we've over complicated the system. 

Do we create our own passage? If so, what parameters will make our passage socially acceptable and does that even matter?

I’ve constructed this blog to explore the most repeated lessons in personal development literature. Furthermore, I wish to express how these lessons apply in a variety or situations.