Male or Man?

Being a man goes beyond physiology. Anything with a penis and testicles is male. All humans with a penis and testicles are male. Not all are men.

There is the obvious difference between pre-pubescent boys and grown males. But being a MAN also involves a large abstract component. All cultures have some kind of rites of passage when a male, considered a boy, becomes a man. Being a man is as much in the eyes of others as in one's own eyes.

To be a real man requires courage, integrity, wisdom, maturity, sound judgment, a stoic determination, control of one's emotions, dominance of intellect over said emotions, resourcefulness, strength through gentleness, manners, respect for women, a sense of chivalry, and honour.

I'll sum it up with two quotes that capture what a real man is:


"Honour is the gift a man gives himself, and that no other man can take away...you must never mistreat a woman, nor malign a man; nor must you stand by while others do so".

-Liam Neeson as Robert MacGregor in "Rob Roy"


"Any fool with a dick can make a baby. It takes a real man to raise his kids right".

-Lawrence Fishburne as Furious Styles in "Boyz N the Hood"