Manly Men

Beautiful Idiots Proverb #6: “Manly men read the instructions”

It’s so hard to be a man these days.

I’m just kidding. It’s still fairly easy. Very few challenges. Lots of freedoms. Ample opportunities for men in this world.

But we do find ourselves at a point in time where what it means to be a man is changing. There’s more expression in style, less expectation to be the conventional man of older generations. I’d like to ask men everywhere to do one thing. I’ll do it, too. Read the instructions.

You’re not required to know everything about everything on first sight. That’d be ridiculous. Nobody’s expecting you to understand all mechanics of every day life. Trying to hid the fact that you don’t know and stubbornly attempting to complete a task is not manly. It’s annoying and dangerous and it’s going to make you look dumber than your already are. I’m not just talking about putting together the furniture you bought from IKEA or fixing the drain under the sink. This applies to the way you walk through your life. I’m using “read the instructions” loosely here as a catch-all. When you read the instructions, you’re taking the time to educate yourself. When you educate yourself, you’re preparing yourself for the situation you’re about to enter. When you’re prepared, you are more sensitive to the needs of your environment, and therefore more useful. This process increases satisfaction for everyone involved.

Don’t you want to make people happy? Don’t you want to contribute? Swallow your pride. Read the instructions. That’ll make you so manly.

-J.P.