At no time in history have there been so many restless, questioning men.
The traditional notions of manhood are under attack and men are being called upon to defend themselves, to change, to become something other than what they have been. – Sam Keen
Character Notes
“Choosing heroes is like making the collage of the ideal person. They’re markers along the human journey, the pathfinders and definers of the human condition, the spiritual elite who reveal some aspect of the human promise. A person without heroes is someone without value to aspire to.” – Sam Keen.
“The reason we have celebrities and why celebrities have become so important to us is that the whole web of relationships that was once the very essence of being human – the community, the village, the extended family – all these have crumbled. We are left adrift…. So we become obsessed with: What’s with Warren Beatty? How many women is he seducing? How much money is Madonna earning? These celebrities become our community, our neighbors, even though we don’t know them.” – George Leonard, SAN FRANCISCO FOCUS, Oct. ’91.
Ask the pretty girl to dance.
You will never know what can be yours if you don’t ask for what you want.
(10/15/91) Life is hard. Some of us make our lives harder still. We drink too much. We don’t study. We rebel. We wear our hair long. We marry the wrong person. We marry the right person at the wrong time. We tell our boss the truth.
I have made mistakes. I have squandered time and talent. I have failed people who cared about me. Know this. Accept this. I apologize. I am determined to behave better in the future.
Ask yourself: WHAT WOULD I DO IF I KNEW I WOULDN’T FAIL? Then go ahead and do it. 1/26/92
My hero actively tries to be worthy of the love of a good woman. My hero is committed to his loved ones.
My hero is caring and sensitive and whatever.
My hero is a honest man who can be counted upon to keep his word.
He is brave and physically fit. He knows how to take care of himself. He is sober and tenacious and confident and humble. My hero always seems to know just what to say.
He’ll get the job done and he never backs away from a fight if he knows he’s in the right.
One word: honor.
The philosophy is this. BREAK THE PARADIGM. REINVENT YOURSELF. BECOME YOUR OWN HERO.