Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Because of the many issues they were faced with, our forefathers were forced to be sufficient unto themselves. When they were faced with a task, they assessed the problem at hand and found a solution, thereby mastering the multitude of objectives they were faced with. Sometimes it was a matter of life and death, other times it was due to normal recurring life issues. The value of developing the knowledge of doing [being independent], finding solutions to problems, and doing things for themselves, conferred power upon them. By becoming self-sufficient and independent, it enabled them to master their lives and the destiny of their society. As Steve Jobs once said, “If you define the problem correctly, you almost have the solution.” As a result of working through issues, they developed and possessed an innate and almost second nature of a burning desire to define the problem, find the solution, and then bask in the personal satisfaction of a job well done.
The independence of learning to do and then doing, gives a man more power to do. The lost art of working through a problem, getting your hands dirty, and figuring out a solution to and fixing a problem yourself is more problematic than you think. When you relinquish power to someone else to do something you can do, eventually you lose the knowledge and the power to do said thing. One only needs to look at the example of the Romans whose dependence on slaves doing everything, resulted in their loss of the power to do. As a result, they were defeated by themselves as an empire and then by their enemies in battle. This ability to do for themselves is what enables people to prosper and is what made nations great. In order to achieve success, a man must possess and retain that character trait.
Men have changed as a result of relinquishing the power to do. To a large extent they have given up their core masculinity and have become dependent on others. As a result, critical thinking is becoming an endangered species that is bordering on extinction. Relinquishing the ability or power associated with something as necessary as working on their own cars, home, or use of hardware without always relying on calling a handyman, is a failure of manhood. Because of this mode of non-critical thinking we have created a society of those living in a permanent child-like state trapped inside the body of an adult. To continually make unconscious life choices out of compulsion or societal conditioning is detrimental. As a result of losing these seemingly simple examples of independence and critical thinking we have compromised our mental health ( i.e increased numbers of those experiencing depression, anxiety, and even despair). These are the psychological warning signals telling us that it is time to reclaim our authentic or true-self (our freedom) has come. This dependency has been proven to be detrimental as a result. To become a man, we need to learn to let go of this dependency. This includes the constant pressure to conform with and to please others. In world history, those who valued and retained the ability to do, have been unbelievably successful. As men we need to reclaim the spirit and power of doing or we have no one to blame for societal failures but ourselves.
By Mark Kiddo, Sr.