Every time someone has something to say about Game, the argument splits into factions who either bash it or defend it. I don’t think this is the most helpful way to address the issue, just as I don’t think rejecting MGTOW out of hand is fair.
In my last post, in which I suggested that the PUA lifestyle will never be widespread, I was trying to introduce some balance to the discussion. The truth is that men exist on a continuum; a bell curve in all likelihood. On one side we have MGTOW, and the other PUA. Most men fall somewhere in the middle.
However, the interesting thing about it is that men can find both extremes worthy of respect. On the one hand we have guys like Dick Proenneke, and on the other Giacomo Casanova. Both are appealing to men in their own way.
Most of us, though, are never going to live a life that follows either script, and wouldn’t want to if we were honest with ourselves.
This is why, rather than getting so animated over it, we should put some effort into learning a thing or two from those who represent one side or the other without feeling that we have to fully commit either way.
I’ll use two writers as an example.
First, Heartiste, whose incisive wit and criticism of the contemporary state of gender relations is not only a great pleasure to read, but contributes significantly to wisdom as well. Heartiste, AKA Roissy, has been instrumental in spreading truth about the nature of women — particularly to younger men whose foster father has been TV and pop culture. He’s done a lot of us a big favor.
Next, Zed, a die-hard MGTOW, who has done the same from his own perspective and experience. Like Heartiste, Zed has gained a great deal of wisdom from observation, even if his perspective is quite different from Heartiste’s.
Personally, I wouldn’t give either of them up, even if I haven’t chosen to live according to their respective paths. What I think we ought to recognize is that man is not a one-dimensional being, and there are competing desires in our hearts. Sometimes we may want intimacy, others solitude, and finally we crave variety as well. Different stages of our lives may call for different strategies, but when it comes down to it there are certain things that give us satisfaction in life, such as love and a sense of purpose, and neither the Game nor MGTOW proponents deny that.
But if we want to keep some balance in our lives we have to be honest with ourselves about who we are, and avoid wandering too far from our true nature, so rather than proclaim one or the other lifestyle superior, we must understand ourselves and take what suits us from each one. I think it’s true that for most men the family life offers the most satisfaction, but unfortunately a predatory class of radicals and profiteers has worked to make that life much more difficult to achieve, so for contemporary Western men, taking notes from the men who have learned to survive – and thrive – outside of that paradigm is a very good idea. However, in the long run, the goal shouldn’t be to throw away what has always been the most natural way of life for the most men, but rather to gain a better understanding of the full spectrum of masculinity, so that we have more options, more flexibility, and the skills to survive without living a bleak existence.
