I bought my first compound bow when I was a 14 year old kid, I would target shoot in my parent’s backyard in Mullica Hill. As I got older I bought better equipment, the rig pictured above is my Oneida recurve / hybrid / compound with carbon fiber arrows.

I bought it because it looks cool, I practiced until I could nail a soda can at 40 yards.

If someone is ever dumb enough to break into my home in the middle of the night they’ll probably feel the arrow as it enters their chest before they hear any sound at all. If the bow fails I don’t mind going in close quarters with a baseball bat, ax, knife, etc…

I have 2 daughters sleeping under my roof, so if you threaten them you threaten everything I hold near and dear. My duty is to protect my girls, using any means at hand.

For several years back in the 1990’s I served as a volunteer firefighter and went headlong into many dangerous situations. I was in optimal shape back then, and I loved the wild adrenaline rush of getting into my turn-out gear, strapping on 50 pounds of breathing equipment and doing what had to be done.

As a man blessed with physical strength and aggression I have the ability and obligation to protect anyone around me who is NOT strong. At the same time I’m duty-bound to NEVER use that aggression in a way that threatens any woman or child.

Masculine energy and strength should only be used to protect those in society who need protection, but it has to be used with honor and integrity.

We don’t need to get rid of or diminish masculine energy, but we need to teach our boys that their role is to PROTECT others, at all times.  

I’m glad the #MeTOO movement gave a public face to all the rapists and sexual predators in the entertainment industry. Men like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby all need to be dropped into a 1,000 foot hole and buried alive. These men could have used their talents and strength to help women and lift them up… instead they will go down in history as monsters.

I’m single now, and when I go on a date my role is to make her feel safe. If I pick her up at her home I’m going to get her back home safely. If she wants me to kiss her at the end of the night this is very obvious. If she leans towards me and I lean towards her…

We need more men in our society who channel their masculine energy in the right way, and we need to teach our boys about the duty and honor they have within the wider social contract to help others when needed.

Ben Alexander

January 2019