I am increasingly hearing the term "spiritual warfare" pop up in the modern vernacular. Some obviously subscribe to this framing, but others I see cringe or recoil at this, as it appears to evoke religiosity and superstition.

I would argue that intentional and exacting attention needs to be paid the WORDS, however. Spiritual warfare encompasses the Christian connotation people think of. But it also has a more general meaning. I would argue that ANY struggle that transcends establishing exclusively physical submission of an opponent is spiritual. When a UFC champion takes a match into late rounds to dissect a challenger, that becomes a war of the spirit. When a prisoner of war is subjected to psychological torture, the goal is conquest of the POW's spirit. The intent is to BREAK his or her spirit.

So the question is: are there or are there not forces at play in society that strive, whether intentionally or otherwise, to break our spirit?

#thinkstr

Probably an unappealing take, but I believe two facts exist in opposition in modern society (specifically with respect to the male psyche):

1. Emotional intelligence, the therapy revolution, comfort with being vulnerable, etc. are generally positive forces for actualization of men - as social creatures. This is a good thing.

2. Cultivating rich emotional fluency has the directional effect of domesticating men. Of course this a generalization, and there are/will be exceptions. But, generally speaking, emotionally actualized and vulnerable men are less savage men. The question is, does society need savage men?

I would argue savage men in your populace aren't needed. Until they are. Every revolution in history has hinged on savage men. And if history teaches us anything, it is that revolution is ALWAYS coming. Eventually. This is the paradox I observe as we unconditionally push for more emotionally intelligent men.

...but idk tho 🤷🏾‍♂️

War is the difficulty adjustment.

If restaurants billed like hospitals....

1. A menu item would cost X.

2. The value of X would be hidden from BOTH the server AND the guest.

3. The guest would then be charged some value Y (instead of X).

4. The restaurant would then be paid some value Z (instead of Y or X).

5. We, as a society, would then be downright BEWILDERED by how broken restaurant economics have become. Insanity 🤬