Being A Man Despite Societies Financial Standards

What A “Man” Used To Be

In previous years, the word “teenager” did not even show up in our dictionary. Children grew straight into adulthood. This was determined by what they were capable of doing physically and mentally. Instead of “waiting until they were ready”, they were thrown headlong into the workforce under very “hard conditions” to make a living for the family. Children grew into adults at very young ages. While a twelve year old could easily plant a five acre garden in the nineteenth century, most sixteen year olds these days can hardly do more than beat a Call of Duty campaign under the most difficult setting. What is happening to “men” in society?!!!

Who's Fault Is It?

Is it our fault? Is it the parent's fault? Or could it possibly be technologies fault? I will say the first one, it's our fault, even though society set new financial standards. These days, instead of families living on physical labor in gardening and / or other manual labor, we focus on understanding technology that does all the work for us. For example, with the food economy so well established, it is cheaper to go to our local grocery store and buy a dozen eggs every week than it is to own and take care of our own chickens. Anyone who has lived on a farm knows how much work chickens alone can be... but imagine not only owning chickens, but cows, goats, horses (used to pull plows), pigs, sheep, etc! These days, we simply need to have the money to buy our food.

Dependence In Economy

But this is where the difficulty in today's society begins. Where can we earn money? Sure, we can work at McDonalds and / or do manual labor all our lives making minimum wage, doing only the small, mindless work that machines can do already, but the financial income would never be enough to raise a family comfortably. How is this problem resolved? Well, we have to find better pay and if machines and technology have taken over manual labor, we are left with only one other selection of work that retains potential financial value... “knowledge”. So the answer is simple. In order for a child to grow into adulthood, he needs knowledge. This takes time! Lots of time! Knowledge is most typically obtained (and excepted) through many years of college... yes... that's right... “many” years of college. Though knowledge is not the only form of financial success, it is typically the most stable form of financial success.

Let's look at children in today's century without even placing them into what we call “teenaged years”. Children go to highschool typically until they are about 16 – 18 years old. Then, for them to become financially stable, they might decide to go to college for 4 years and earn a bachelors degree. Well, by this time, they are already 22 years old, and that's saying they went to college for only 4 years! There is an 10 year difference between a 22 year old man and a 12 year old man! That's pretty crazy!

Issues With Sexual Stress

By the time a man was 18 years old in the nineteenth century, he was already very well experienced in farming and could, if he wanted, get married and start raising a family on his own. What perfect timing! In the case of males, by the time they are 18, their testosterone levels have cranked almost to the max giving them passion driven desires to both be “men” and “leaders” … as well as fulfill the natural desire to mate. Even though not all men in the nineteenth century married at the age of 18, the fact that they were “able” gave them the feeling of confidence they needed to be “men”. For a man to feel like a “man” is very important (and I'm sure the same goes for the women as well... but a... I must admit that I am not quite familiar with their issues as I am with the men).

Our Financial Value Should Not Determine Our "Manliness"

In today's century, we get the impression that we are forced under society to remain “children” until we are either finished with our degree in college and find a job or find some other means of financial stability. Most generally, the guarantee does not happen for men until they are at least 23. That is five whole years of living under raging hormones and testosterone screaming for the desire to be a “man” and to “lead”. Anyone who has been a man knows this is a painful, stressful, and often depressing time of life. Not only is this painful and stressful, but can be very unhealthy, as well as straining to spiritual loyalty in fighting the temptations of pornography and “free sex” that is so readily available in the world, even amongst "Christianity". But we do not have to let society determine our growth of maturity.

As a quick note. Though I do not understand the feelings of women, I do know that while many married at young ages from 13 to 16, these days you only hear of marriage in later years being around 18 to 21. Women have suffered as well in this change in society in waiting for the “childish” men to grow up! Ladies, you mature much quicker than men, but really, find a REAL man! ;) There are a couple out there.

Why I Am Saying Anything?

Do I have a solution. No. This is only an attempt to put the facts (I though up) into clear view to potentially encourage young men not to be children, but mature grown men of God. Society may tell us it's alright to spend years of precious time doing nothing but play video games, do minor drugs, or contemplate "free sex". Even through the imbalanced equilibrium of classification in today's society, God can and will still use us to glorify Him throughout the beginning stages of adulthood. I by no means have it all figured out, but... I just wanted to let all the other young men like myself know that we can be men. We do not have to live under societies standards. Being a young man myself, I want to encourage every young man to live as though the word “teenager” did not exist, to be viewed as a child by society, but still be a man.