[February 8, 2016] If we look back to the time when the American Indian was strong in what is now the United States, they can be found devoting much of daily lives turning their young children into good men and women. Turning boys into men was a particularly important affair since they would become the protectors of the tribe.
“If today I had a young mind to direct, to start on the journey of life, and I was faced with the duty of choosing between the natural way of my forefathers and that of the present way of civilization, I would for his welfare unhesitatingly set that boy’s feet in the path of my forefathers. I would raise him to be an Indian!” – Tom Brown, Jr., Apache, The Tracker
Courage, reverence, and generosity are just a few of the virtues taught to young boys in their development to be Indian (see more on the virtues of the Sioux Indian here). Of course they were not the first to recognize the importance of creating an environment where boys could become good men.
Today, in the Western world, we see the “decline” of men. Many political and educational leaders have pushed to devalue men wherever possible. With the perception that men were bad because of their dominance, we began to see programs to feminize social institutions. It is now acknowledged by some educators that schools are not friendly to boys.1
Some of our strongest male institutions have been aggressively attacked for their focus on men; those that focused on developing immature, young males into strong, resilient men. The assault on the Boy Scouts and U.S. military especially were successful. The same can be said for the denigration of the father figure in families. The result? Increased incarceration rates, fragmented families, increased illegal drug use, and higher school dropout rates for boys.
Most social scientists recognize the importance of strong men and recommend a shift in focus. A number of boys-to-men organizations have sprung up to help address the social deficiencies of our current education system.2,3,4 Even the country of China has jumped onto the idea that good, strong, resilient men is crucial for a better society.5
An unknown American Indian Chief once remarked, in response to a state governor’s request for Indian boys to attend college, that he would be happy to take some of the white man’s boys, train them in the ways of the warrior and make “men” of them.
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- https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/boys-men
- http://boystomen.org/
- http://maineboystomen.org/
- http://boys-to-men.org/
- http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/world/asia/wanted-in-china-more-male-teachers-to-make-boys-men.html