Foolish by nature were all who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing the one who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan; Instead either fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water, or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods. Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them. Or if they were struck by their might and energy, let them realize from these things how much more powerful is the one who made them. For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen. But yet, for these the blame is less; or they have gone astray perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him. For they search busily among his works, but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair. But again, not even these are pardonable. For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord?
~ Wisdom 13:1-9
I have recently stumbled upon a series, or more accurately called a conglomerate, of YouTube videos all similarly titled “Reject Modernity, Embrace Masculinity” or a variation of this. These videos are not coming from one channel, or author, but from across the internet, across the world. Each video has hundreds of thousands of views and thousands of comments.
Every video follows a similar pattern. The first minute or two shows the worst of modernity with a special focus on men. Men eating themselves into obesity. Men dressing as females—skirts, dresses, high heels, tights. Men rejecting their manhood by claiming that man should naturally be feminine and subservient. Men abandoning their nature.
Other videos display the effects of a life enslaved to the 9-5 grind of corporate work, especially—especially—work that is deeply disconnected from our nature. Its sickening to watch these opening minutes. Shown is a culture of decay, and a culture deeply confused about the good, the true, and the beautiful.
The second parts of these videos mirror the second half of their respective titles—‘embrace masculinity’. These clips include footage of fathers saving children, firefighters running into buildings, police taking bullets for one another, workers up on telephone lines, down in the sewers, or suspended in the sky erecting incredible architecture. These clips highlight athletes, bodybuilders, Olympians, boxers—those men who have strived and pushed themselves to perfect their form and craft. However, not just physical aptitude is praised but also mental accomplishment. Flashing pictures show off the world’s greatest minds—philosophers, astronomers, inventors, musicians, engineers, historians, writers, poets, and more. And as the best of men are shown, men who have embraced their masculinity, I feel truly inspired.
Inspired, yet confused. I love these videos, and they do encourage me to be a better man. They help me to recognize, as I believe they help others, that embracing one’s masculinity in one’s day-to-day life will effect in a positive and tremendous way their relationships, friends, workplaces, parishes, communities—and our society. Yet, I am confused. I am confused because these videos are not produced by a Catholic organization, nor a passionate apologist, a valiant priest, a virtuous Monk, nor even a conservative organization. These videos are produced and shared by young secular men, scattered and siloed across the world, searching, yearning for a brotherhood, for a community, for others who want to join them in their modern crusade. They share this message because they know they have found truth, but they do not know they have come upon Truth. They did not grasp their condemnation of society from a deep formation but were able to identify it in the world from things they have seen.
I ask that you revisit my initial quote from scripture, Wisdom 13. Read it again in light of these young men I have just described. These young men “from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing the one who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan.” It saddens me to see them called foolish, yet so they are, because they are lost, truly lost in a tornado of societal decay, but wanting to find firm ground to stand upon.
I hope for these young men, the blame is indeed less. “But yet, for these the blame is less; or they have gone astray perhaps, though they seek God and wish to find him. For they search busily among his works, but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair. But again, not even these are pardonable. For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord?”
When I was a young boy, I thought the call to evangelization was in the far corners of the world to some unknown aborigine. Not so. The call to evangelization, especially for us men, is to our fellow man next door. The man next to you at the gym, in the cubicle down the hall, passed by in the store, or playing pick-up in the park. These are the men who are ‘searching busily upon his works, but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.’ Evangelize these men, the men who have found masculinity, but have not yet found the Lord.
"…'It's okay to be a man.’…It's not okay; It's necessary.” - Dr. Jordan B. Peterson
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