What is a Man? (and why does it matter?)
What is a man? Vulnerable? Gentle? Powerful? Big biceps? Penis? Tall? Strong? Innovative? Loyal? Logical?
On the Left, more and more say a man is whatever you want it to be — penis or vagina, boobs or pecs, loaded with testosterone or almost none of it, masculine or feminine — it makes no difference. A man, or a woman, is a form of self-identity, freed from any biological constraints. If you say you’re a man, it’s my job to accept it and society’s job to validate it.
On the Right, more and more say that a man, or a woman, are constrained by their biology if not outright defined by it, and all of this talk of “identity” runs the range from irritating to an existential threat on traditional gender roles. Conservatives say that a man and woman are defined by their biology first and foremost, and that there is no burying or obfuscating that truth.
Who should we believe?
5 Problems with a Spiritual Identity
Being “spiritual” can help you find a middle path between religion and science, or faith and logic. It is leaning into openness to what you don’t know while rejecting the surety of religion, the reductionism of the West, and the false certainty of materialism and atheism.
Nevertheless, going into your practice as a “spiritual” person can create problems far bigger than those it solves. And it can also make you a terrific jerk, a flaming narcissist, or one of those dreaded cacao ceremony people.
Here are 5 problems with having a spiritual identity.
Why Do Spiritual Teachers Keep F@&king Up?
Without a doubt, sex is the third rail of humanity — yes, it powers the train but it can also kill you if you step on it. In spiritual circles, there has long been a rule in place that teachers should not sleep with their students. It’s one of those rules, like not cheating on one’s spouse, that seems to get ignored nearly as often as gets followed.
Yet it seems reasonable that the teachers of spirituality should know better, act more ethically, and be more transformed — be more adult — in their sexuality than the rest of us. After all, what's the point of being a so-called spiritual master if you can’t keep it in your pants?