November 29, 2009
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Things Every Man Should Know
With the dawn of the metro-sexual man, the rise of the sensitive man, and the death of chivalry; male identities are as confused as ever. Even though these new gender roles are being integrated into the modern male psyche there are things that every male should know. Here are the 8 that I consider most essential.
1) How to Build a Campfire
Regardless if you’re the “camping type” you should know how to build a campfire. Fire is man’s first technological invention and the control of fire allowed us to evolve past tree swinging, chest beating monkeys. Building a campfire is an essential skill. You’ll never know when you’ll need it, but when you do need it, building a campfire could possibly be a matter of life or death.
(building a campfire)
2) How to Navigate using a road-map
In my “What NOT to buy a man” post; I had listed GPS for the car. I was disappointed how many men attacked me for listing it. They cited reasons such as “GPS is more convenient”, “I can’t read maps. GPS does it for me….so it’s way better.”, etc. The trouble with this reasoning is that unlike GPS, maps are everywhere in every country, and in every language. You can take a map with you out of the vehicle and walk with it. A map doesn’t require batteries. If you can read one map, you can read them all. Knowing how to read a map and navigate using a road-map is an essential skill and should be 100% intuitive before you get your license to drive.
3) How to Change a flat tire
This one stuns me. I know more people that CAN’T change a tire than those that CAN. It’s utterly shocking. Roadside assistance is nice, and it’s great if you’ve got it. But if you don’t have a cell, or you’re in an area that doesn’t get service then what are you going to do? If you drive any vehicle anywhere you should know how to change a flat tire, and if you don’t you’re a complete disappointment and should be ashamed of yourself.
4) Know the name of the 3 most common screw driver types
Why should you know these? Because invariably every man will at some point walk into a hardware store and need to buy screws for something or other. When you walk into the store and buy screws….it’s best to know what the hell you’re buying. (the 3 most common in North America are: Slot, Phillips, and Robertson)
5) How to use a hammer
Why should you know this? Just like knowing the screw types, inevitably there will come a time where you’ll either need to use a hammer to fix something you own, or help someone else out. These days hammers are very well balanced and surprisingly advanced considering their job. But I can’t count how many people I’ve watched completely mess up using a hammer. Simple tips; tap the nail in 1/4in first, use your elbow to drive the hammer not your wrist, don’t try to put the nail in with 2 hits…but also try to get it in with less than 10 hits (or you’ll be there forever)
(more tips on how to use a hammer)
6) How to give / take a punch (as well as how to make a fist)
It doesn’t really matter if this skill is one that you’ll never use, knowing it is just as important. First off you need to know how to make a proper fist. Why? Because if you don’t make a proper fist and then you end up giving a punch, you’ll break your hand or wrist.
Why is knowing how to give a punch important? It’s important because at some point in your life you may be faced with a situation where you have to place yourself between an attacker and your partner or family. Knowing how to give a punch will give you the confidence and posture to be able to resolve the situation without any injury to your family.
Perhaps even more important than knowing how to give a punch is knowing how to take a punch. Like Rocky said;
“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.”
Amen brother…amen
(how to make a proper fist)
(how to punch)
(how to take a punch)
7) How to push start a manual transmission car
Automatic transmission cars are much more prevalent in North America, and maybe you’ve never driven stick in your life. But without fail there will come a point where someone has a manual transmission and they’re stuck by the side of the road and need help. Knowing how to push start a dead manual transmission car can help yourself, your family, or a complete stranger out of a very crappy situation. Best of all, it’s actually really easy.
8) The basic rules for the big 5 world sports (Soccer, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey)
You don’t have to play these sports, or even like them, but you should at least know the basic rules. Why? Because it helps you to relate to other men. If you can talk about sports to another man, interaction can be a lot more fun and loose. Knowing the basics of these 5 will ensure you’ll be able to relate to pretty much any man that watches sports. [ed. - don't be silly, soccer's not a sport]
(rules for: soccer ; baseball ; football ; basketball ; hockey)
What other things should every man know?
