It is still acceptable for men to be alone and isolated. A male loner is seen as a strong characteristic that a man should have. History contains many examples of male loners from Robinson Crusoe, Captain Cooke, Columbus. Through Nelson up to the more modern day dictators such as Mussolini and Hitler.

Perhaps an exaggeration but men are still expected to cope alone. To deal with their own problems, and be strong. Hearing that people don’t like to see men cry is common.
It is not manly. It is not manly to have feelings.

Centuries ago men in nature had rites of passage to go through alone. To prove themselves worthy of the status of a man older boys have to perform initiation rituals alone. Thankfully the modern version of male rituals includes self awareness and having feelings. Now men use sport, travel, or risky activities to be men.

Into the Wild describes the true story of a young man Christopher McCandless  trying to escape a violent past. He dropped out, scrubbed away his identity, and went on a kind of pilgrimage to find out who he was. Not who his family wanted him to be. He travelled across America into the Alaskan wilderness to be alone with nature.

The idea of the rogue male is out dated. But still holds meaning today. The private school system where a ‘survival of the fittest’ culture.It turns out young men cut off from themselves to compete and win at all costs. How many explorers today are a product of the private school system?
Male Loner

Copyright Adrian Scott North London Counsellor Blog 2016
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Disclaimer: This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only.
This article is designed to provoke argument and critique