Advice for 18 year old man??

63daddy · 2025-04-16T17:00:37+00:00

At 18, you already see how biased marriage is and how our society is gynocentric. You are in a much better position to make informed decisions than I was at that age.

Making decisions that oppose peer pressure or parental desires can be tough, but it’s incredibly selfish for parents to place their desire to be grandparents over what is best for their own child. Consider the biases and consider any factors that might make these biases worthwhile and do what is in your interest, not what others pressure you to do.

I resisted the pressures to marry and I’m so thankful for it. For some, the biases against men are worth it. What’s important is that your decisions are knowledgeable and that they are truly your decisions not decisions pushed on you by parents or society.

Queasy_Chicken_5174 · 2025-04-16T17:31:33+00:00

Get very, very skilled in at least a couple of valuable areas. Men are valued for what they can provide, and your life will be much easier if you can provide significant skills in your area of work or relationships.

You want to be the guy that people think about first when they're giving personnel or business recommendations. When people say, "I know a guy that can...." your name should come up if they're talking about your industry.

Interpersonal skills are definitely part of that package, too. Don't be one of those wizard trolls that can do great work but nobody can get along with.

RealStarkey · 2025-04-17T03:26:06+00:00

Make life long friends and never give them up because you are sharing an orgasm with anyone.

And never marry.

Proper_Frosting_6693 · 2025-04-16T16:31:34+00:00

Just don’t try to convince anyone about marriage! Just don’t get married. “It just never happened”

Don’t go too far down the Manoswamp though, just get the top level information and get out. Work on yourself, make a long term plan for what you would like to get out of life and go implement that plan. Don’t live for the day.

SidewaysGiraffe · 2025-04-16T19:25:30+00:00

In your position, I'd just be upfront with them- but that's a VERY rough and rocky path, and definitely isn't for everyone. Every alternative does mean lying to your parents to some degree, though.

There are people who will (and since there are fifteen comments here as I type this, probably already have) tell you that money is the most important thing, but that's hogwash- money is just money. You can't eat it, shelter yourself with it, or do more than burn it for heat; its only value is in what you can get with it, and its only importance is in being a way to get things you can't otherwise.

That doesn't mean it doesn't matter, of course, but one of the MGTOW perks is that you don't need much money, since you don't have a wife and kids to support, and the usually-introspective nature of it means you don't feel much need to impress other people, so your needs are low. Before the lockdowns and the associated insanities, I was able to sustain myself in a simple, humble life working only part time, which let me spend most of my time doing things that I enjoy- working to live, rather than living to work.

Of course, that might not be for you; some personalities DO demand flash and prestige, or traveling the world and seeing the sights, but another perk of not having much tying you down to one place is that you can move around and make changes much more easily than other men.

A good place to start is by figuring out what makes you happy, and what you want out of life, but that's not a question you ponder for a few days or weeks and then suss out; it's very much a long-term question.

One important point, though: be cautious about diving too deep into the online MGTOW community. Many of them- or at least their louder members- are far better described as MBOWOFAE, or "men bitching about women online for all eternity"; they've dived too deep into the betrayal they feel, and they can't- or won't- find their way out, so their lives are defined by anger and hatred. Such a life is neither fulfilling nor enjoyable. To the degree it's feasible for you, I'd strongly suggest maintaining some close connection to female friends or relatives, to serve as a reminder that women are people, and for all the failings and frailties that brings with it, they're not monsters, and should be judged on their actions, not other people's prejudices.

mrkpxx · 2025-04-16T17:10:09+00:00

You don't have to tell your parents that you never want to get married; it's enough to say that the right woman hasn't come along yet. 18 is too early anyway; you can take your time until 30.

And no matter how good or bad the system is, make the best of it. Don't give those who wish you harm the joy of making you angry. Emphasize the good things and work on maintaining control over your life, and then you can ensure that you're doing well.

Junior-Election-5228 · 2025-04-16T16:43:44+00:00

Philosopher's have spent their entire career asking this same question since the time of antiquity.

Many man (and any women who lurk) here will give you widely varying opinions on this, depending on their background and personal biases.

In that sense, my favourite advice comes from Charlie Munger, one of the most legendary investors of all time, and former partner of Warren Buffet prior to Charlies death (founder of Berkshire Hathaway, worth 160 billion+).

He answered this question by asking the inverse; what does it take to be miserable? His answers were as follows:

Be as unreliable as possible and don't stick to your word, ever.
Imbibe in mind altering substances in order to form an addiction.
Become envious of others, and of what they have.
Hold onto your resentment of others, be it family, friends, men, women, etc.
Never listen and learn from the mistakes of others. Make those same mistakes yourself instead.
Don't grow or learn anything new.
When life knocks you down, stay down and become hopeless.
Ensure to ruin your reputation. This ties into 1.

I think there's more, but this was generally his belief, and based on his 1986 Harvard Commencement address. Highly recommend reading "Poor Charlie's Almanack." and other books that pique your interest.

For reference, I'm a 35 year old married mechanical engineer who's pretty "happy" in life now, but I definitely did a few things that made me miserable over time, such as weed addiction, not sticking to my word (lack of reliability), resentment towards my upbringing, etc. All these things contributed to a pretty miserable life and depression.

Good luck in your life!

Gen_X_Xoomer · 2025-04-16T21:50:18+00:00

Here’s my recommendations for 18 year old men.

Do something now before you get lulled into a life of poverty.
Go to school, but only for careers that are in demand and high paying.
Join the military. You’ll get free housing, healthcare, food, university education, travel the world, get in great shape with tons of confidence, and choose from over 400 careers. If you can think of a job, the military needs it.
Start maxing your 401k.
Move around if your job allows it. Don’t stay in one spot if you can get more experience.
Go to an Orthodox Church. Lots of male mentors and networking opportunities.
Stay away from relationships. Wait a decade or two.
Be your own man and people will be drawn to you.

AnuroopRohini · 2025-04-17T08:09:28+00:00

I already told my Mother that I am not going to Marry because In India the whole system despise Males and 90% Indian Women are also contributing to this

NewMoonlightavenger · 2025-04-17T14:18:19+00:00

The first thing any man needs to do, regardless of social position or place of birth, is to secure economic independence.

Roamer56 · 2025-04-17T14:37:30+00:00

Men should be in no rush to marry. Our biological clock is way different and much longer.

Be extremely choosy, my friend. Watch out for baby trapping. It’s a real phenomenon and I have had it attempted on me.

jjj2576 · 2025-04-16T16:36:00+00:00

“The Way of the Superior Male” is a dope read. Improve your skin care routine. Workout. Kick it in nature.

Blastronaut_ · 2025-04-16T16:49:04+00:00

Survival is the most important aspect of life, living. Money=Survival. Focus on making money. go to the gym on your free time, you don’t need to become massive just be fit. Have hobbies. Making money is the most important thing for you. Gain valuable skills, provide a service or product.

Women ruin men, sometimes for fun. They’ll never take accountability, they’ll always shift the blame. Men are physically threatening, women are financially and mentally threatening and with modern feminism normalizing borderline personality, narcissistic blah blah bullshit, the majority of women have the same mindset. “He’ll have no fury like a woman’s scorn” is the realist quote I didn’t understand until now and I’m 30 years old. There’s immense imbalance between men and women’s rights. I won’t ever date again unless I get my own place with full surveillance and that still wouldn’t be enough. I wish I was your age again asking this question and taking the responses seriously. Allegations is more than enough to flatten your tires driving on a highway, only luck and the grace of God will prevent your death. Also most women cheat, “hypergamy” is real, women are so good at cheating unless you walk in on them you will never find out. Even if you do walk in on them they will start to manipulate you “it’s not what it looks like” or blame you “I thought you weren’t supposed to home from work”. Your mother might not understand, maybe your dad will, but they are from a different generation. Misandrist is one million percent real, the only reason it isn’t acknowledged is because it’s not traditionally violent, I disagree because starving is a painful death, depression is a miserable death, homelessness is a miserable existence and these are the things women are capable of.

Also stay tf away from drugs and alcohol. ALL DRUGS. Weed is very harmful, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. No one is smart enough to understand how complex the human brain is, there’s millions of components, weed will fry your circuits.

Wisdom is EVERYTHING, read, talk to older gentlemen. Gain as much wisdom as you can quick.

Ambitious_League4606 · 2025-04-16T18:02:44+00:00

Don't get bitter and twisted at 18 man, you have whole life ahead. Be good times and bad to deal with.

Work on personal development and enjoy your youth. Be a decent person. Good luck.

KD_Ram · 2025-04-16T20:36:51+00:00

I will give you the same advice when I was 20. A scrap pile is like money in the bank, because metal always holds value. plus think of the cool things you can make if you can smelt/forge.

this might not help you "live life happily" but if you have a way to put food in your belly then it's at least a start

also try to get a bug-out bag ready, never know when the shit hit's the fan and they (civil defence/FEMA etc) sure as fuck not going to feed your arse because "your a man". so best to be able to feed your self (better if you either learn how to hunt/farm or gather/horticulture. aquaculture might be something to look into given what you have mentioned in other comments OP)

Njaulv · 2025-04-18T00:00:46+00:00

Just don;t let people push you around based on their beliefs and expectations. Navigate life based on logic and reason, and anybody that stops you from doing things that make you happy you evaluate how much you actually want them in your life.

Dismal-Diet9958 · 2025-04-17T01:10:28+00:00

Consider joining the military. I enlisted at 17 and it was one of the best decision I ever made.

Title	Advice for 18 year old man??
Author	Naive-Ad1268
Upvotes	61
Comments	58
Date	April 16, 2025 4:27 PM UTC (1 year ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1k0omjh/advice_for_18_year_old_man/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/advice-for-18-year-old-man.1549782 https://theredarchive.com/post/1549782

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