The Bare Minimum For A Man.

Figured I should do one of these for men. Here goes.

1) Have a mission, and a plan on how to execute that mission. Identify your life purpose. This is the first and most important bare minimum for a man. All that matters here is that you have given thought to these things, and have a mission, plan and purpose. It doesn't matter what they are. They can be reconsidered at any time. They do not have to be set in stone. They need not be lofty, noble, complex, expensive, time-consuming, prestigious, or impressive to others. All that matters is that you know what they are and have considered them.

Do not confuse function with mission and purpose. Being a husband and father is not a mission or purpose. Do not confuse side entertainment with mission and purpose. Learning Game and getting laid are not missions or purposes. Women are not part of the mission or purpose at all, except to the extent they help you fulfill your independently devised mission and purpose.

2) Understand and accept your burden of performance. It does not matter how much you will perform, or what "performance" will entail for you. All that matters here is that you, as a man, bear a performance burden that women do not and never will bear. You must understand that it is unique to men; and you must accept that you will bear that burden until you are dead.

Regardless of the amount or character of your performance, you must perform. You must do, make, create, build, acquire and accumulate, and you must be a wise steward of what you have done, made, created, built, acquired, and accumulated. You will never have peace or stability in your life as a man until you make your peace with this.

3) Consider the question of faith, whomever or whatever you believe. All that matters here is that you are considering faith. This need not be resolved yet. It does not matter what you believe. It does not matter if you are religious, atheist, agnostic, a nonbeliever, an objectivist, a secular humanist, or something in between. What matters is that you consider it and expend some mental energy on it, because you must resolve this question eventually, even if you revisit the question many times during your lifetime.

4) Achieve financial independence and responsibility. Spend less than you earn. Have your own job. You do not live with your parents. You are at least minimally responsible with money. You don't need to have a lot of money in the bank, but you do need to be able to make ends meet.

5) Pay some attention to your physical and mental health. Keep your weight down. Get physically strong. Lift weights, eat well. Do not overconsume alcohol or recreational drugs. Be cognizant of your mental state and health, and pay careful attention to them.

6) Pay attention to your physical appearance and communication ability. Looks matter. Your ability to communicate clearly in the spoken and written word matters.

Get a good hairstyle and wear properly fitting attire appropriate for the occasion. You do not need to be an Adonis. But you do need to make some effort to look your best, dress well, and have some sartorial sense. You need not be a genius or a gifted orator. You don't have to be as eloquent a writer as Roissy. But you do need to be able to speak and write with minimal clarity. You must have a minimal ability to make yourself understood to others.

7) Recognize when you need help, and get it. Doesn't matter what kind of help you need. What is important here is that you identify situations where you want or need someone else's assistance, and then seek it out.

8) Regularly spend time in the company of men. Iron sharpens iron. Other men are your iron, and will hone and sharpen you. Other men will challenge you to be better. Over time, other men will initiate you into their "tribe" and into full manhood. Note: Spend in person time with men and male friends. Spending time with men online or in chatrooms or on Reddit is NOT "spending time in the company of men".

9) Disregard the opinions of others on how you should conduct your life. Learn how, and when, to say "no". You will be presented with choices, situations, and people which are undesirable or unprofitable for you. You must be able to decline them firmly and unambiguously, and you must refuse to care what others think about this. It doesn't matter what you are declining. All that matters here is that you can identify what you must refuse, say a clear, hard "no" to them, and then give no fucks about them. The man who cannot do this will be whipped about on the whims of others, and will waste time and resources.

10) Develop your bullshit detector. You must have some minimal discernment for others' lies, manipulation, fraud, deceit, and sinister machinations. You need to be able to tell when, or at least question if, someone's lying to you. You need to be cognizant when someone's trying to screw you over or get over on you. Trust but verify. You won't always be right, and sometimes people will get away with it. But at least you will have a healthy skepticism for other people's bullshit.

There's more here for men, because more is expected of us than is expected of women. The items for men are more abstract than for women, because you as men are expected to design and build the framework for your life. Thus, the "bare minimums" are less concrete and specific for men.

A concept absent from this essay is what women expect as a bare minimum for men. This essay is not concerned with that question. While Red Pill men have a good understanding of that concept, ultimately women decide what bare minimum they need from men.