The Man Card: Five Characteristics Separating Men from Boys
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. As a symbol of the U.S. military, The Pentagon is often used as a metonymy for the Department of Defense and its leadership. It’s the world's largest office building (6,500,000 square feet of space), has five sides, five floors above ground (two below), and five circular corridors per floor. "Ground Zero" is the central five-acre plaza that is nicknamed on the presumption that it would be a prime target in a nuclear war. Each side of the Pentagon is symbolic of one branch of the military: Army, Navy, Air force, Marines, and Coast Guard.
I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject of manhood. I even defined it in my book, The Man Card. But something was missing. Something about the book was incomplete. Yes, that rare species called a man does certain things that separate himself from his anonymous male counterparts, but who IS he?
I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject of manhood. I even defined it in my book, The Man Card. But something was missing. Something about the book was incomplete. Yes, that rare species called a man does certain things that separate himself from his anonymous male counterparts, but who IS he?
What is man’s Ground Zero? In The Man Card I detailed five masculine things a man DOES—five manly characteristics—but how is he different than his beautiful counterpart women? What identifying walls make him distinct?
Who IS this enigmatic “man in the arena” that we talk so much about? With so many male “fans in the arena” the man who is actually in the arena is uncommon among his gender.
Men and women are different. Truth. We are equal to, but different than, our beautiful counterparts. Our heart longs for different things. We see the world through different lenses. We experience a similar reality in different ways.
Here are some examples. Look at the bodies of men and women. Compare the vocations they choose. Observe their interpersonal styles. Generally speaking, women are nurturers versus men who are protectors. Men are builders where women are more nesters (look at who works in the construction and home décor industries). Men have tremendous focus, where women are wired to multi-task. Men love to solve the problem, and women love the process.
I agree with what author Stu Weber writes; “Most qualitative attributes presented on manhood appear to be applicable to womanhood. What men are looking for the most, I think, are the things that really identify them as men. That is, what exactly is it that sets them apart from women?”
What innate identifiers has God hard-wired into men? What are his core passions? What is his gift to the world? What does he offer to those who love and depend on him? Who IS he?
A man is five things. He possesses five identifiers that set him uniquely apart from women. He naturally, innately, defaults to one of five walls that comprise what I call the Manhood Pentagon.
These five things will resonate to the core of a man. Where women will be ambivalent, your blood starts racing. Here it is. Men are naturally 1) Protector-Defenders, 2) Fighter-Providers, 3) Pursuer-Conquerors, 4) Leader-Sacrificers, and 5) Solver-Finishers.
