An Appreciation of the Male Form (and Function)
Statue of Napoleon as Mars in Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, Italy (6/25).
The ideal male form expresses both Peace and Strength, simultaneously and in perfect harmony.
Wandering through the immense National Archeological Museum in Athens, Greece admiring those Greek gods’ pecs, abs, and glutes… oh those glutes!
One of the reasons I love hiking is because it offers a direct encounter with NATURE—an experience with a number of pleasures and benefits attached to it. You get the feeling of peace and serenity, but also some adventure mixed in. You get the pleasant sensations of the earth, the trees, the rocks, the kind of video-game pleasure of moving forward through the kaleidoscope of colors, and your body always feels good when it’s working and in motion.
But NATURE also stimulates and directs the MIND. It carries with it the sense of representing the order, regularity, and, yes, BEAUTY of the world. As a model of thought, Nature serves a solid touchstone upon which to anchor all subsequent analysis. As in, “what is the natural order of things…” and going from there.
I used to study the Greeks and Romans quite a bit. I even know Ancient Greek. And one of the striking things about those cultures (which, yes, persists to this very day!) is their direct and honest devotion to the male form in its naked glory. Sure, those beautiful Greek gods and men, captured in motion in marble or bronze, are Idealized to an extent; but really they are striking for their Realism—this is how fit, healthy men actually look! They saw and captured man in his splendor. This was one of the great advances that the Greeks of antiquity are so famous for. They succeeded in catching and displaying, for all to see, the true Beauty and Virtue of the male human being—of men.
Me at the National Archeological Museum in Athens (6/25).
I think it’s so crucial to have a positive outlook and look at the way things are as they way they are supposed to be (which they are). Man is strong and muscular because he needs to be. He is loyal and steadfast because, well, someone’s gotta do it. He is bright and cunning because the world is dangerous. Form and function, mind and matter. A beautiful muscular man is attractive for a reason.
Well, just a few thoughts on the subject this time. But I’ll try to do more of these short essays in the coming months…
Until next time,
-TDG
PS: This isn’t just a intellectual or aesthetic stance (but it is that too)—strength training is a huge part of my life. All my friends know how much of a gym regular I am. It feels good and makes you healthy. I strongly suggest a regular exercise regiment—whether it’s lifting, cardio, hiking, biking, rowing, whatever. Find what you like to do, get into a habit, and get healthy. This is what inspired my Fitness & Exercise hiking experience, which I offer to folks who are interested in combining the wellness benefits of hiking with strength training and extra cardio. Check it out…