Action and awareness

Every so often I’ll come across a link to an article from The Art of Manliness website. I’m not quite sure what to make of the site, frankly. It seems to be dedicated to restoring the lost art of manliness from bygone eras. In some ways it reminds me of that Original Star Trek episode “A Piece of the Action” where a starship visiting an alien planet leaves behind a book about the gangsters of the 1920’s only to have the culture rebuild their society around Chicago’s mafia era. I can’t quite decide if the site is sincerely dedicated to creating “real men” (or if I agree with them on what a “real” man is) or if they’re just marketing to men who like to think of themselves as real men, or who are looking to escape from or even push back against the dehumanizing tactics of Feminism.

But they do have interesting articles, and as often as not they’re applicable to anyone, not just men. For example the article that led me there today: 10 Overlooked Truths About Taking Action.

In this speech from Steven Pressfield’s gripping, well-researched re-telling of the Battle of Thermopylae (Gates of Fire), the Spartan King Leonidas addresses his troops after a victory. He is reflecting on the fact that when you do battle in chaos, Lady Fortuna and skill have an equal say in the outcome. Pressfield explains this dynamic in his equally worthwhile non-fiction work, The Warrior Ethos:

“In the era before gunpowder, all killing was of necessity done hand to hand. For a Greek or Roman warrior to slay his enemy, he had to get so close that there was an equal chance that the enemy’s sword or spear would kill him. This produced an ideal of manly virtue– andreia, in Greek – that prized valor and honor as highly as victory.”

Andreia meant that judgment was based on actions taken — not outcomes. Society understood that the outcome was, at least in part, in the hands of the gods. What was in a man’s control was how he acted.

We tend to mix this up. There is an army of authors studying “successful” people and writing lists of 5, 7, 10, or 20 things that they did to become successful. All you have to do is emulate the list and you, too, can be successful.

That’s like looking at the living Spartan soldiers and explaining why they survived. Leonidas would laugh at their idiotic arrogance.

We have become so focused on results that our actions have become a secondary concern. We judge men based on what they have instead of what they do. We signal our ideals instead of embracing them.

The writer goes on to discuss examples like the Wright brothers, who continually experimented, tweaked their design, and retested, as opposed to the better-funded corporations of the time who went back to the drawing board, rethought everything, and tried to ancitipate everything before moving forward. The corporations fell victim to their lack of action while the Wright Brothers succeeded and got all the glory.

There are numerous other examples of the advantages of action. It’s a long article, but worth a read. But again, there’s nothing uniquely male about this article. It’s universally applicable. Whether she’s conscious of it or not, my daughter embodies much of the outlined approach. She doesn’t wait around for someone to tell her if she can or should learn a particular skill, she starts learning as much as she can with the resources at her disposal. When she encounters a barrier she seeks help. But she acts.

I’m not quite as fearless, but many of the successes I’ve seen in life have come from taking some measure of action before just deciding something can’t be done, only to find out that it can, indeed, be done so long as you take it in steps.

Anyway, it’s an interesting article.

While I was there another article caught my attention on “How to Develop the Situational Awareness of Jason Bourne.”

That superhuman ability to observe his surroundings and make detailed assessments about his environment? It’s not just a trait of top secret operatives; it’s a skill known as situational awareness, and you can possess it too.

As the names implies, situational awareness is simply knowing what’s going on around you. It sounds easy in principle, but in reality requires much practice. And while it is taught to soldiers, law enforcement officers, and yes, government-trained assassins, it’s an important skill for civilians to learn as well. In a dangerous situation, being aware of a threat even seconds before everyone else can keep you and your loved ones safe.

But it’s also a skill that can and should be developed for reasons outside of personal defense and safety. Situational awareness is really just another word for mindfulness, and developing mine has made me more cognizant of what’s going on around me and more present in my daily activities, which in turn has helped me make better decisions in all aspects of my life.

Also an interesting read. I spend much of my day pretty much confined to the inside of my head. My situational awareness is quite low. In some cases it’s a coping mechanism. I could easily become distracted if I allowed myself to be continually aware, and in my line of work as a knowledge worker it’s just not productive. But in other careers, such as a store clerk or a photographer or a taxi driver, situational awareness could give you a competitive edge.

But again, this has nothing to do with being manly or womanly. It’s simply a good idea, especially in personal defense.

Anyway, here’s a little interesting reading if you’re…uh…interested.