The Poetics of Manhood: Contest and Identity in a Cretan Mountain Village. During the 1960s, anthropologist Michael Herzfeld lived among the people inhabiting a small, mountainous village on the island of Crete, observing their culture of masculinity. The resulting book has insights on why men are drawn to meat, risk, competition, and improvisation and why hospitality is a manly art. This is the book where the idea of “being a good man vs. being good at being a man” originates, though the Cretans used it in a slightly different way than it’s come to be understood today. The Poetics of Manhood was one source we drew upon in writing our epic series on the 3 P’s of manhood.
Rebel Diamonds by the Killers. I’ve been enjoying my vinyl edition of the greatest hits compilation the Killers just put out and remembering all over again why they’re my favorite band. 20 songs for 20 years, and each is such a well-crafted creation. Some of all my all-time favorite Killers songs are “Runaways,” “All These Things I’ve Done,” and “Dying Breed.” But lately I’ve been rediscovering the power of “Be Still” — what a song.
Sportsman Cologne. This has been my go-to cologne for fall and winter for several years. Sportsman Cologne adds a splash of adventure to your day. Handcrafted in small batches in Austin, Texas, this rugged scent features notes of leather, musk, flint stone, red clay, and pine.
The Friendship Dip. Anne Helen Peterson observes a “Friendship Dip” that happens in people’s lives in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. In your teens and 20s, you likely had a lot of close friends. But as you move into your 30s, work and family start consuming more of your time and create conflicting schedules that make friendship hard. As you enter your 60s and retire, your time and bandwidth start freeing up, so you have more time for friends again.
Quote of the Week
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.
—William James
