Book Review, "Wild at Heart"
So I read a book recently. Yeah, yeah, stop laughing. What do you think I do when I'm on the toilet? Do you know how much TIME I spend on my self-professed 'throne'? I'm able to get lots of reading done there. Stop laughing I said! Stop!
So I read this book, and it takes the stance that men have been neglecting their masculinity in this culture and have lost a good part of themselves in the process. I don't really disagree with this premise, but this book takes it to extremes. From here it instructs readers to go out and find themselves, rediscover thier childhood hope and heros, then go out and make that hero happen! Yeah! Charge!! Go get 'im!! HYAAAAAAARRRRGGHH!!
Ummm, wait a minute, is there more to a man than the urge to dominate themselves and their surroundings? I've found a lot more success in life in understanding my surroudings (in both sturctures and people), than I ever did trying to control them. I've also had more success in giving up control of myself (a really old Christian tradition and school of thought).
Now the book does make SOME attempt at lucidity. It recommends you don't just up and leave your current life (and wife, and family), and charge off on the biggest mid-life crisis in history. It also spends I think a whole page and a half in trying to describe how to discover God's plan for yourself. But these are almost footnotes to the overall point of the book which is to energize readers to go out and MAKE SOMETHING of themselves. This I think is plainly dangerous. People have enormous power in their words and actions. To go out and do things without thinking through the consequences of your actions is a recipe for disaster (hehe, trust me).
So I'm not saying, "Don't read this book." I am saying, "If you do read this book, take it with a grain of salt. And remember there is a lot more to a man's motivations than the need to be the hero."
So I read this book, and it takes the stance that men have been neglecting their masculinity in this culture and have lost a good part of themselves in the process. I don't really disagree with this premise, but this book takes it to extremes. From here it instructs readers to go out and find themselves, rediscover thier childhood hope and heros, then go out and make that hero happen! Yeah! Charge!! Go get 'im!! HYAAAAAAARRRRGGHH!!
Ummm, wait a minute, is there more to a man than the urge to dominate themselves and their surroundings? I've found a lot more success in life in understanding my surroudings (in both sturctures and people), than I ever did trying to control them. I've also had more success in giving up control of myself (a really old Christian tradition and school of thought).
Now the book does make SOME attempt at lucidity. It recommends you don't just up and leave your current life (and wife, and family), and charge off on the biggest mid-life crisis in history. It also spends I think a whole page and a half in trying to describe how to discover God's plan for yourself. But these are almost footnotes to the overall point of the book which is to energize readers to go out and MAKE SOMETHING of themselves. This I think is plainly dangerous. People have enormous power in their words and actions. To go out and do things without thinking through the consequences of your actions is a recipe for disaster (hehe, trust me).
So I'm not saying, "Don't read this book." I am saying, "If you do read this book, take it with a grain of salt. And remember there is a lot more to a man's motivations than the need to be the hero."
Comments