MenLiving exists because men are bad at friendship, the lack of friendship leads to greater levels of anxiety, depression and death, and men die earlier than women, and at an ever-increasing rate, by their own hand. Some might suggest or even declare that men have had their time so what’s the big deal. Or men themselves might shout, “we are men so we will figure it out!” But these developments are a big deal for the future of humanity and men are not figuring it out on their own.
When we launched MenLiving at the end of 2018, we stated that our vision was “to live in a more harmonious world by deepening connections among men.” We would realize that vision by accomplishing our mission “to create spaces to challenge and support men to live their best lives through facilitated practices and authentic conversation.” I can say over the last 3 and ¾ years, our team, volunteers, members and donors have been committed to this vision and mission. And as we created these spaces and engaged with hundreds of men in vulnerable and open conversation, we came to see that our calling might be larger than we first imagined. The world that we began to envision was still harmonious, but it was so because the men in it are healthy, connected and intentional.
Hence, our new vision statement: A World of Healthy, Intentional, Connected Men. You may ask, why healthy, intentional, and connected? You may find healthy and connected to be easy focuses. Healthy of mind, body and spirit goes a long way to good living. Connected, in good relationship with others, has proven to be the most powerful aspect of a content life. But what about intentional? What do we mean here? Some have suggested that this characteristic could have a negative connotation. Essentially, we could be endorsing all types of bad actions done in the spirit of being intentional. We object. For us, an intentional man is living in two ways. One, he is living as his true self. He is not living according conditioning and structures that may restrict his individuality. He is deliberate in living his own life fully. Secondly, he takes 100% responsibility for how his life plays out. He is never a victim, but always the agent of his destiny.
To make this vision a reality, our new mission is to create spaces where men can connect, heal, and thrive. This mission is not much different from the old. We still are about creating spaces, but these new spaces are less restrictive more open. New service offerings coming soon will reflect this thinking.
Lastly, as we thought through these statements of direction and inspiration, we began to have conversations about how a man might find health, get connected and be intentional. And because MenLiving isn’t about requirements, creeds, gurus, or judgments, we offer these “suggestions” for living fully:
Live Consciously
Live Curiously
Live Candidly
Live Emotionally and
Live Intentionally
In the coming weeks, we will share more about each suggestion and why we think taking them into consideration can lead to greater contentment.
Until next week…✌️&❤️