UEB BRIDGE PROGRAM - The Art of Manliness - By Jeffrey Dettelis

  
 U Evolve Buffalo continues to offer it's Sunday Morning Nutrition and Training Program (The BRIDGE Program) for Men Only because we consider the Art of Manliness a high value. I have been programming and executing the Art of Manliness Program in multiple capacities since 2015 and the men of this program have been proactive in making wholesale lifestyle changes and achieving great levels of success. Multiple men have lost and maintained over 100 lbs of weight loss. Many have taken on new physical endeavors such as the sport of Powerlifting, Competitive Running and Obstacle Course Racing. Many men have built the physical strength, fortitude and confidence to not only tackle a wide variety of fun physical endeavors but have also become proactive in pursuing their loves of hobbies and zest for life which has previously eluded them.. The BRIDGE Program is merely the opportunity and catalyst for change. The choice to take and maximize the opportunity is always up to the individual. It is my responsibility as the Trainer to create the environment that can foster success. I have been extremely fortunate to continue to work with such men that hold the same standards and values and continue to perfect the art and craft of manliness. This outstanding group of gentlemen are extremely supportive and encouraging to new men that join the program in a hard working, fun  manner. The program has been built on the backs of the hard working participants.

"Your fear of death is not a love for life and will not give you the knowledge needed to keep it." John Galt

Why do we need the Art of Manliness?

Actions and words mean everything. Both contain extreme power and influence. People are always watching and observing. The words you choose, the inflection of your voice and the self awareness to understand the company you are in. A mans body is the physical manifestation of the mans mind. This can create either a positive or negative feedback loop. If mans mind continues to make conscious negative choices this will effect his own physical self. Whether it be as a perceived form of reward or quite possibly self punishment.

Setting a good example - 
Having children or being in the presence of children can be an external factor for driving men to grow up and act like responsible, motivated men. But I would contest that the Art of Manliness is not having to flip a switch when you are around children, visiting your grandmother or on a first date. Your actions should remain the same regardless of company because they are based on sound, coherent, philosophical, moral values. The language you use can be a window into a persons internal soundness of mind & body. Whether you realize it or not people pick up on the words you choose, how you interact with other people, how you handle set backs & failures even how you handle success.
When a persons actions are contrived, they carry a fake smile or just repeat another mans words to just try and sell you goods or false hope...This is observable and the negative feelings can be felt in ones insincerity or fakery. Your intuition will let you know that you are in the presence of less then desirable company. You should listen to your inner self.

Not only have the language and actions of manliness deteriorated over time, but the classic, look & form of manliness has suffered. Some people would argue that this shift in modern physical form as well as style needs to be updated to new standards to coincide with modern culture. I would put forth that the idea of what it means to be a man does not need to change. Rather we need to know our history as a people, culture and go back within our own extended family to rediscover the rich history of man and men that have come before us. The men that have set high standards of morality in which we can take cues from. Literature is full of biographical accounts of real life heroes that have elevated the masculine spirit and have helped shape current and future cultures. I am not suggesting that previous generations or historical cultures were not without flaws. I am saying that there will always need to be context when discussing history. The acceptable language, actions or laws  of one era may no longer apply in a current culture but we need not throw the baby out with the bath water. We need to preserve the virtues that we can stand on and thrive. Engage in moral behavior with the belief and actions of sound virtues.

Four Classic Cardinal Virtues - 
Going back to ancient Greece, Manliness was based on the Four Classic Cardinal Virtues; temperance, prudence, courage & justice. It is said that a man could not be virtuous or manly if any of the Cardinal Virtues were not acting in full accordance with each other. As an example; a man would not be considered courageous if he was unjust.

In Ancient Rome a man was expected to express his virtues on both the battlefield and in the public arena. Men were expected to defend & conquer and also be present in daily public life and work. A man was not expected to sit home on his laurels for this behavior was frowned upon. There were defined roles and extended idle periods of time in the home were not one of them. There was no room in society for a man to spend his hours  in leisure (gaming), gossip and spewing ill tempered thoughts and feelings (social media) to his fellow man. Action was required and there were consequences, very real, mortal consequences for lack there of it. 

Self Control - 
Many ancient cultures regarded will & self control as a strong characteristic of manliness. Being a drunk or lout was never deemed as manly. The pursuit of unruly and intoxicated behavior is now glorified and self documented. Sadly this trend is transcending both genders. What is the message being sent? It is often falsely wrapped in a masquerade of liberation. "Look at me! Zero $%&ks given!" Remember, language has meaning. Language is a window... Even a Mafia Gangster knew enough to dress nice, put on a public persona and show respect in front of women and children. Today's culture seems less civilized even by Cosa Nostra standards.

Self control over your emotions, desires and actions is a staple of manliness. When a man surrenders that control he becomes "unmanned" or without physical presence or control. It would be hard to pinpoint exactly where in history the Art of Manliness was lost. Some might point to the mid 20th century. Others would say it is the Boiling Frog Scenario. That it has been a slow eroding process over a much longer period of time and we are just starting to feel the scald & rumble of the boiling water. 
No greater display of unmanned behavior can be seen than in our media and social media platforms. At any given moment you can tune into your preferred platform and witness unmanned spouting, soap box ranting, overcompensation, and dialog devoid of temperance and prudence. Two of the Four Cardinal Virtues. If you do not posses one, then you posses none. Killing a mans emotion and becoming emotionless is not manly. Remaining in control of ones emotions is essential for manliness. 

Temperance -  
The same lack of temperance that causes unmanned emotions is often related to the same behavior that leads to excessive indulgence. Over indulgence leads to the ever expanding breakdown and distancing of man from his classical physical form. Cultures have always had an
appreciation for the aesthetics of man. It are those very aesthetics and proportions going back to ancient Greece and Rome that have shaped our own physical culture today. Today we are experiencing a large shift away from the classical aesthetics of man as displayed by our fore bearers in works of art like the Statue of David and Vitruvian Man. We are seeing a massive shift toward men in the United States being obese. According to the National Institutes of Health; Overweight refers to an excess amount of body weight that may come from muscles, bone, fat and water. Obesity refers to an excess amount of body fat. Data from the National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey of 2009-2010, show more than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than 1 in 3 adults are considered to be obese. The statistics for children are no more encouraging.

The Great Reenactment - 
The bedrock of the U Evolve Buffalo Art of Manliness is the physical culture that we forge and the nutritional philosophy that we use to nurture it. I am in no way damning technology. I enjoy my hot and cold running water, heated home, car and electronics. But... I do believe we have reached a tipping point. For reasons much to lengthy to be explored in this article, mans nature has de-evolved. The cost of that de-evolution is making it's presence known in our culture and on the body and minds of men. This broken form of man is now becoming acceptable in our culture. It may have happened to you unwittingly. I know that I had it happen to me in my own life. It is easy to get lulled to sleep in the constant white noise of a society. I woke up. I am not here to wake you up. The Art of Manliness is not a wake up program. The Art of Manliness BRIDGE Program is for the man that has awaken and doesn't like where he woke up. This program is creating a physical culture that brings Man closer to his innate being. Get stronger, more agile, have greater cardiovascular capacity, constitution, self esteem, courage, discipline, body composition, commitment and curiosity for doing and being more.

Interested? The UEB BRIDGE Program for Men starts on Sunday, September 16th 2017 at 8:15AM. Get Registered, get more details, reach out to us, join the Art of Manliness, whatever you do, TAKE ACTION.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=M9BWU9L4MK6BE

uevolvebuffalo@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/UEvolveBuffalo/