Men who’ve effectively trained their warrior side are the ones who trust their intuition. They don’t have time to doubt themselves and so the faster they respond, the more likely they are to survive and protect.
A test of our intuitive abilities is to get into the middle of a fast-paced situation and see how well we follow our instincts. So what is the best way to prepare for this? One way is to train yourself on decisiveness. Check out this article for more info – Wisdom Under Pressure: Training Yourself in Decisiveness
But, arguably, more important are the hours of silent observation which allows an individual to get in tune with his body and beyond – to listen and sense the world around him. Then you can “see” the figurative blow coming before anyone else and anticipate the challenge… among other perks.
Unfortunately, the majority of western society today has gone down a different path. Training themselves in self-deception and distraction, the negative consequences are innumerable.
I’ve asked my friend and Cadre of The Process, S. Pfeifer to share his wisdom regarding this topic. He’s like a stoic, philosophizing buddha who likes to climb mountains, shoot guns, and experience the fullness of life with his wife. He’s truly a good man who’s great at being a man. Here are his thoughts:
Life is short.
Time is precious and fleeting. The opportunity cost of self-deception and distraction is the full awareness and enjoyment of life as it really is. Every moment lived in full awareness is a moment fully lived. The more of these moments you have, the more life you actually live.
How much of your short, precious, fleeting life do you spend sedating yourself and distorting reality with social media, gaming, binge-watching fiction or porn, watching and talking about the athletic achievements of other men, or soaking yourself in political divisiveness? How much time do you spend buzzed, high or otherwise drugged? How much time do you spend complaining, gossiping, arguing, angry, worried about the future or regretting the past?
How much time do you have left to see life, yourself, others and the world as they really are, free of the mental clutter that impedes you?
Time and the mental clarity to enjoy and make the most of it… these are the rewards for liberating yourself from self-deception and distraction.
Negativity kills. It kills hopes, dreams, plans, confidence, performance, relationships, love, gratitude and happiness. The words we speak, the words we think, the stories we tell ourselves and others reinforce neural pathways, building habits and perceptions of the world, ourselves and what is possible.
Every time we allow our minds to highlight negativity we’re casting seeds of negativity that leave our life and the lives around us a barren wasteland. Every time you recognize and acknowledge the negative, but highlight the positive, you sow the seeds of progress, improvement, change, compassion, creativity, and happiness.
If you only spoke when you have something true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind to say, how often would you speak? How often would you need to stop, observe, analyze and check negative thoughts? How different would you and your perception of the world be?
Do you see areas where you can improve?
The tactics for positive change are manifold but fairly simple and obvious. The will to implement and maintain effective tactics requires deep motivation. Guides of various forms can provide tactical advice easy enough, but the deep motivation is something each person needs to find in themselves.
As a starting point, you may make note of how much of your waking life is spent soaking in the ideas and messages of others versus time spent with your own thoughts. Are external messages encouraging and leading to simplicity, clarity, and happiness, or complexity distraction and unease? What is the internal landscape like in the absence of external messaging? What would happen if you got rid of your TV, canceled your Netflix, Hulu, social media accounts, unsubscribed from every single email list, got rid of the gaming consoles, blocked the gaming and sports websites, took every app off your phone other than voice, text, and calendar? Are you freaking out already? Would you die? Or would you figure out a new way to live?
If at this point you’re thinking, “I don’t need to do that.” The above are not commandments, they are questions. What are you clinging to and why? What can’t you or won’t you do? Why not? Why? Why? Why? Why? What could you become without them?
Change men, change the world.
Statistically, men account for the majority of all suicides, accidental drug overdoses and largely preventable lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes, and chronic liver disease. Men are disproportionately killing themselves intentionally or through neglect and poor choices. Men are also statistically the leading perpetrators of theft, assault, domestic violence, child molestation, rape, murder, and wars.
Men are not only harming themselves disproportionately. All of these may be on the extreme end, but it does seem to hint at an underlying sense of unease which affects many if not most men to some extent.
Any effort to improve external and introspective understanding could help move more men in a positive direction. These men move and lead other men. These men treat each other, women, children, all beings everywhere and their planet with respect, compassion, and love that we all deserve.
Change men and you change the world.