Role Models

Just what should we be modeling?

I titled my most recent essay “Positive Masculinity.” Not because I love the term, rather because I couldn’t think of a better term to describe what I was trying to get at. Another Masonic writer who I greatly admire has used the term “Mature Masculinity” but I can’t really fall in love with it either.

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

But, in the discussion that followed that essay, it was brought out that the term “Positive Masculinity” seems to have been co-opted by the same people who have popularized the term “Toxic Masculinity.”

A Brother posted some of the traits that are supposed to be considered a part of positive masculinity, and some of the traits that are supposed to point to toxic masculinity. I agree with some on each list, and disagree with some on each list. Some on the old toxic list seem awfully positive to me, and some on the positive list seem downright toxic to me.

But one on the apparently positive side is I think really worthy of discussion in a Freemasonic context:

Role Modeling

As men, we should be role models to the boys and young men in our lives. As Masons we should be role models to the Masons who are newer in the Craft than us.

It goes beyond that. We should be role models to our daughters and the girls in our lives, role models to our families, and role models to the families around us.

I think that we can all agree on the importance of that.

But, if we are to do that, the question must be, what traits should we model to others?

What are those essential characteristics of a good man? And how do we model those characteristics to others through our actions?

I am hopeful that we can discuss these things in the comments to this post.

What are the most important characteristics that a good man should or must possess?

How can we encourage those characteristics in others through our words?

How can we model those characteristics to others through our actions?

Let’s chat about it…