Male Influences - What Can I
do and Who Can I Be
Now that we have answered the question “what do we not
want to do and who do we not want to be,” we are informed, at least, of the
direction that we do not want take. Our next question then becomes;
“What can I do
and who can I be?”
This question is not meant as a directive but as a
starting point to consider the options that is available to us. It addresses
your own interests; what do I like to do, am I good at it, is there anyone
who has done it before, what was that person like, can I do what he did, can I
be like him, can I do better and can I be better?
These are good questions to ask yourself and I’ll be
honest, they are fun questions because now we get to let our imagination fly.
History and fiction has a wealth of resources for us to discern and dissect and
we just need to look at them with critical and rational thought as well as
creativity and open-mindedness.
I have chosen a few figures that I believe is worth
considering. I chose these men because of their contribution towards mankind
and the awesome legacy that they leave behind to see whether we can learn from
their example. I also wanted to examine their personal lives and see if we can
discern anything important from them.
And I encourage everyone to look for someone they admire
and analyse them. I know Jagrmeister admires Steve Jobs and I think that is a
worthy person to consider as well.
Male Influences: Isaac Newton
Portrait of Sir
Isaac Newton 1689 – Godfrey Kneller
No one exemplifies MGTOW philosophy more than the
esteemed Sir Isaac Newton. Born January 4, 1643 in Woolthorpe, England, Isaac
Newton is credited as one of the great minds of the 17th scientific
revolution discovering optics, motion and mathematics. His most acclaimed work,
Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy or more commonly known as Principia,
has been called the single most influential book on physics. Newton was a
heretic (Snobelen, 2000) holding views that is does not conform to religious
orthodoxy. He wrote textual criticism, most notably An Historical Account of
Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture published after his death in 1754
which he blames the Roman Church for many abuses in the world as well as
committing pious frauds.
Newton had a troubled early life; his father died 3
months before he was born. His mother, Hannah Ayscough remarried a Reverend
named Barnabus Smith and abandoned Newton to the care of his maternal
grandmother Margery Ayscough. Widowed a second time Hannah attempted to turn
her son into a farmer for which Newton hated. Understandably, Newton was
psychologically scarred by this; suffering
from depression as well as temperamental outbursts (The Newton Project 2014). It
has been suggested that he might have suffered from Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia
or Asperger’s Syndrome (Benjamin, 2012). Whatever it may be, it was certain
that Newton was a difficult man (Pomeroy, 2013).
A more important observation is how the female influence corrupts the son
to the point that he carries psychological trauma for the rest of his life.
Newton, effectively being abandoned by his mother to the care of his
grandmother, grew up not having many friends and unable to connect with people.
He was said to be petty and vindictive as well as being paranoid. One wonders
if Newton was raised by a father instead of his mother or grandmother, would he
have turned out differently? In the following examples I will illustrate
different historical figures and how male influences have affected their
personal lives.
It only goes to show that Newton, like any other man, was
not without his faults but much like Stephen Hawking who suffered from
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); Newton did not let his own mental
condition limit him. We look up to Newton for his everlasting legacy on physics
as well as his own humanness that he struggled with. In fact, despite him being
a difficult person, despite him being unmarried and disinterested in women,
despite him having a being abandoned by his mother, he was still able to
overcome all of this personal tragedies and become one of the greatest minds in
science.
His only
passion as he stated, "I do not know what I may appear to the world;
but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and
diverting myself now and then in finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell
than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before
me."
Male Influences: Johann Sebastian Bach
Portrait of Johann
Sebastian Bach 1746 – E.G. Haussmann
“Not Brook but
Ocean should be his name.”
Ludwig van
Beethoven
Bach is German for
Brook
Born on March 21, 1685, Bach is a musical giant; his
technical abilities and musical vision is respected throughout Europe during
his lifetime. Today, he is widely regarded as among the greatest composers ever.
Tim Blanning (2008: 272) claimed that Bach was the greatest master of harmony
and counterpoint, calling him the ‘Homer of Music.’ Among his admirers include
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann
and Felix Mendelsohn.
Bach’s contribution to music is comparable to William
Shakespeare’s contribution to literature and Isaac Newton’s contribution to
physics. His music was featured 3 times in the Voyager Golden Record, a
phonograph record sent to outer space with the Voyager spacecraft in the 1970s.
Biologist and author Lewis Thomas remarked about what he would want to send
into outer space, “I would send the complete works of Bach… but that would
be boasting” (Gordon, 2000).
Little personal correspondence has survived to provide a
full picture of Bach as a person. Bach was orphaned when he was 10 years old
where he was then taken in by his uncle. Bach was raised religiously and he was
a devout Lutheran; Raymond Erickson (2014), author of ‘The Worlds of Johann
Sebastian Bach’ remarked that Bach saw everything that he did as a composer and
musician as an act of prayer. Bach married twice and also loved children,
having fathered 20 children but only 9 of them survived him.
It is not correct to assume that religion and
traditionalism played a major role in determining the healthy upbringing of
Bach or even Newton. Both Bach and Newton believed in God even though Newton
held unorthodox beliefs. Both of them held that same sense of spirituality that
influenced their works. The main difference here then is their upbringing. Being
raised by women, Newton grew up psychologically traumatised and not wanting to
share his life with women or anyone while Bach, being raised by men, managed to
marry twice and fathered many children.
The contrast between Newton and Bach is telling as it
illustrates the importance of father figures in a son’s development as a man. Newton
was effectively abandoned by his mother and was raised by women without the
presence of a man. He still succeeded in attaining greatness but at a great
psychological cost. At the other end of the spectrum, Bach raised by his father
and uncle and he succeeded in producing greatness while having a normal life suited
to that culture and era.
Male Influences: Miyamoto Musashi
Woodblock print of
Miyamoto Musashi c. 1840 – Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Born in 1584, Musashi as he is simply known is a Japanese
swordsmen and ronin (masterless samurai) who was famed for his swordsmanship
and his many duels even from a young age. He developed and founded the
Two-Sword Style of swordsmanship and authored The Book of Five Rings, a
book on strategy, tactics and philosophy that is still read today as well as
the The Way of Walking Alone which is a guide to self-discipline for
future generations.
Even at an early age, Musashi was instilled with two
things that would sculpt his path in life. His father Shinmen Munisai - an
accomplished samurai - taught Musashi swordsmanship. He then was taken in by
his uncle - a monk - at the age of 7 who taught him Buddhism as well as reading
and writing. He would later spend many years studying Buddhism and
swordsmanship during his warrior’s pilgrimage, developing ideas and philosophy which
he would later expound through his book, The Book of Five Rings.
Musashi states that his first duel at the age of 13 where
he successfully defeated a samurai named Arima Kihei (Wilson, 2004: 12). At age
21, he travelled to Kyoto where he challenged the prestigious Yoshioka School whose
sword-style was one of the 8 major styles in Kyoto and had been the instructors
of the Ashikaga Family for 4 generations. Musashi defeated 3 of the Yoshioka
family heads and ended that branch of the school.
Perhaps his most famous duel, steeped in myth and legend,
was his battle with Sasaki Kojiro who was known then as the ‘Demon from the
Western Provinces.’ One version of the account stated that Musashi, around 30
years old, defeated Kojiro in a swift duel, dealing a single blow to the skull using
a wooden sword he carved from an oar. It is a widely held belief that Musashi
has fought over 60 battles; undefeated.
Musashi never married but adopted sons - Mikinosuke and
Iori - both of which became samurai. He began extensively practicing arts at
the age of 49 and became an accomplished artist; Musashi made several Zen brush
paintings including the Shrike Perched on a Dead Tree as well as sculptures
made out of wood. Musashi believed that being a rounded person made a better
strategist, stating “There are five ways in which men passed through life;
as gentlemen, warriors, farmers, artisans and merchants.”
We can draw interesting comparisons between Musashi, Bach
and Newton. Musashi’s mother died shortly after he was born and so like Bach,
Musashi was raised by male influence. And like Newton, Musashi did not lead a
strictly traditional life; he was a masterless warrior vagabond looking for a
fight for the purpose of honing his craft. Like Newton, he never married and
was not strictly adhering to Buddhism but like Bach, Musashi raised successful
children and used religion as a basis for many of his philosophy and work.
What we can learn here is that the male influence is a
positive influence and not at all what is described by Feminists today. We see
that with male influences, children will grow to be a more balance and healthy
adult compared to female influences which results in the child developing psychological
disorder.
Male Influences: Zheng He
Statue of Admiral
Zheng He in Borneo
Before there was Christopher Columbus and Vasco de Gama
and Ferdinand Magellan, there was Admiral Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty. Born
1371, Zheng He (also pronounced Cheng Ho) is one of the most interesting
figures as well as the greatest seafarer in Chinese history (Viviano 2005). He
was born a Muslim and helped promoted the faith in China. He was the descendant
of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, a Persian who served the Mongol Empire and
was the Governor of Yunnan. Zheng He was castrated when he was 10 years old, made
to serve and rose to become a trusted advisor to Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.
As admiral, Zheng He commanded an unprecedented fleet of
300 ships with 27,800 men that included sailors, doctors, clerks, officers and
artisans that visited 37 countries from Vietnam to Africa from 1405 to 1433
(China Daily 2005). He went on 7 voyages, with the intent to display the
splendour and strength of the Ming Dynasty, not to conquer or crusade Chinese
religions (Vega 2011). The Vice Minister of Communications of the People’s
Republic of China Xu Zu-yuan stated,
"These
were friendly diplomatic activities. During the overall course of the seven
voyages to the Western Ocean, Zheng He did not occupy a single piece of land,
establish any fortress or seize any wealth from other countries. In the
commercial and trade activities, he adopted the practice of giving more than he
received, and thus he was welcomed and lauded by the people of the various
countries along his routes."
As a result, Zheng He introduced numerous elements of
Chinese culture throughout South East Asia, South Asia and the east coast of
Africa which include Confucian ritual and beliefs, standardized calendars,
weights and measurements, agriculture, navigation, construction and medicine
that promoted economic and cultural change (China Culture 2005). However, being
a eunuch did not make Zhang He submissive; records stated that he “walked
like a tiger,” was a tall and imposing figure, had a strong loud voice and
never avoided battle. His first voyage in 1405 was to capture and execute pirate
Chen Zuyi terrorizing the islands of Indonesia in a battle in which 5,000 died
and 10 ships burned. Zheng He was undoubtedly and thoroughly a man despite
literally the loss of his balls.
Now let us compare Zheng He with the rest. You would
think that being castrated would cause a lasting psychological trauma to a boy
but such is not the case when we look at Admiral Zheng He. Indeed I have no
doubt that being deprived of your testicles would be traumatic but Zheng He
managed to overcome this personal tragedy and grow to be a psychologically fit
man. If we compare Zheng He and Newton who also suffered psychological scars,
we notice that the difference between the two is the male influence present in
their lives. Zheng He was taken in by Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, who was 11
years older and nurtured Zheng He and rewarded him for his accomplishments. The
male influence is crucial to a growing boy’s psychological maturity.
We can also see that with Newton, Musashi and Zheng He
held different religious beliefs but they did not blindly adhere to their
faiths. Newton heavily criticized the Roman Church but he believed in god and
viewed his work as a way of understanding god’s creation. Musashi remarked in
The Book of Five Rings, “There are many ways; Confucianism, Buddhism, the
ways of elegance, rice-planting or dance; these are not to be found in the way
of the warrior,” as well as this in The Way of Walking Alone, “Do not
act following customary beliefs.” Zheng he was not a strict Muslim and was
open to Confucianism and Buddhism, having served inside the palace where he
understood many faiths and became a skilled diplomat to 37 countries.
Newton, Musashi and Zheng He are critical thinking men,
able to discern between good and bad, applying the former and rejecting the
latter. They did not serve in the interests of women rather they serve their
own and that of their fellow men. All four of them – Newton, Bach, Musashi and
Zheng He – were passionate in their pursuits and did not let society deter them
from it. And while Newton had female influences, Bach, Musashi and Zheng He had
male influences and they in turn spread their own male influence – because man
is good – to other men. Their influences has an everlasting effect; changing
the course of history for the betterment of mankind.
I believe this is the one of the core goals of Men
Going Their Own Way and that is to gain good influences from men and to
influence good for the betterment of mankind.
But how do we go about influencing good on other men? Not
all of us can be Newton, Bach, Musashi or Zheng He after all. Individually we
are able to influence small good and this is plenty but there are examples we
can learn to influence other men in a monumental way.
Reference:
Blanning, TCW (2008) The
Triumph of Music: The Rise of Composers, Musicians and Their Art. Harvard
University Press, 2008 pp. 272.
Gordon, D (2000) Great
Thinkers Opinion of Johann Sebastian Bach. Carmel Bach Festival, California
2000.
Wilson,
WS (2004) The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi. Kodansha,
Tokyo 2004 pp. 23-26
