The forth post in my dissection of MASCULINITY AMIDST MADNESS by Ryan Landry (The New American Sun, formerly Social Matter and the Weimerica Weekly podcast). For this post, we'll be looking at Chapter 04 and discussing QUALITY OF LIFE VS QUANTITY OF LIFE.

All prior posts on MASCULINITY AMIDST MADNESS are collected on my Medium page.

(Note that this series of essays serve as my own reaction to portions of Landry's book that I find particularly interesting- these essays do not serve to encapsulate the book as a whole, recap the book, or replace reading his excellent and practical meditations on media toxicity regarding masculinity, and how to reclaim a sense of masculine purpose in a toxic world.)

"[Bug-men] turn their faces from eating foods of power...but eat third world concoctions made with rancid oils and half-digestible exotic grains. They do not eat food for power but for the possibility of one extra day." (22)

The heart of masculinity is power and a man making his own decisions by taking into account the possible consequences and potential rewards of every actions- this is self-sovereignty, or power over one's self. This act alone, making his own decisions after considering risk and reward (and, usually, the greater risk/the higher reward) is considered an act of defiance in a feminized world- the assumption being that the greater quantity of life is always preferable... and maybe to a gutless, sad-sack consumer it is- a longer life, a deeper bucket list, a higher degree of consumption- to call back to BRONZE AGE MINDSET, this is how the bug-man will understand life.

I wrote about calculated risks in my essay thinking about drug use and Scott Weiland (we'll come back to this), "Defiance on the Road to Decay":

No better a glimpse of defiant masculinity than the combat sports fighter. He understands the game- he evaluates the risk, he visualizes the reward. Even the losing fighter garners the respect of participation- the only participation trophy that matters- and walks away with a warrior’s honor and the gorgeous women who find that irresistible.

The feminized world cannot come to grips with the defiance of masculinity. It misunderstands the high-risk/high-reward dichotomy and believes the participants are unaware of the risks or else they wouldn’t hunt for rewards. The feminized worldview is steeped in consumerism- the proverbial activity punch-card at summer camp; the bucket-list life- where the longer life is understood as the better life. If not for a long life, how else will you enjoy food, wine, and travel?

They will tell you not to run because it destroys your knees. They will tell you to stay out of the sun for fear of skin cancer. They will tell you to avoid eating too much red meat, to always use a condom, to stay away from drugs, and to always wear a bike helmet. This is the world we've been raised in- a world of supreme safety.

I ask you this: can drug use be a calculated risk? This essay is not to encourage drugs usage, nor am I trying to discourage it- this is about making informed choices. What if a drug is used productively- with the user understanding the potential (probable) negatives, but is used to create a beautiful and impactful art that transcending the life of the user?

Let's circle back to Scott Weiland- Stone Temple Pilots' 1994 masterpiece "Purple," according Weiland himself, was a product of heroin use- a heroin addiction that Weiland would go on to describe as "a big black monster."

The cover art to “Purple”- a smiling baby, riding a dragon through the clouds while a group of angelic ladies look on with wonder- was found printed on the first bag of heroin Scott Weiland ever bought. In fact, a lot of “Purple” is about Weiland’s heroin use which began on their first tour; “Unglued” hits on the manic height of experimentation while “Vasoline” confronts the sobering reality of addiction.

According to his own account, Purple was recorded “outside of time and space.” With heroin, Weiland was able to tap into the timeless space of youth- a place of pure creativity. Maximum possibilities- pushing things beyond the infinite.

Was it worth it- giving up precious years of life for an immortal, artistic legacy? How about fighting in a cage, risking brain damage, for the invisible badge of badass and the women who find that irresistible?

Is quantity of life truly more important than quality? I'm not here to answer that question for you- but only to encourage you, as a man, to seek the answer within yourself.

This covered a tiny fraction of the forth chapter of MASCULINITY AMIDST MADNESS- purchase it on Amazon, and join the discussion!

K I LL T O P AR T Y (latest post: "Purity and Mayhem")

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