Cowardice and Masculinity in Sensitive Souls

“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

Our present culture manifests in a series of paradoxes. We see a blatant show of strength, such as the strength of a bodybuilder, as strength, and we see the strength of a strategist, or the strength of the mind, as evil. Collectively, we have been guided to perceive things only at face value. Value judgements are expected almost instantly. Concepts such as intelligence are passed around lightly, based on IQ, or external achievements. We have no genuine definition of intelligence.

But this is tangential. My point is to direct one’s attention towards another aspect of things. We have no facts or data as to the inner qualities of one’s being. We can perceive experience in a face, but not factually, not in any specific way, and generally, we are dissuaded from utilizing these faculties of the mind. We do not quantify inner strength. We judge a man to be less of a man if he loves flowers and poetry. We judge a man to be less of a man if he can feel; a man must be unfeeling.

But what if feeling were a way of quantifying strength? What if, in fact, the quantum of feeling a man can endure were in fact an indicator of strength? What if an indication of strength were in fact the quantum of feeling a person can endure without unleashing it upon others? It is said by people who have endured both that emotional suffering is far worse than physical suffering. So, have we not stopped being cavemen by judging on appearances and preconceptions, and quantifying strength inasmuch as it is manifested in an obvious way?

I’d like to propose a new conception of strength. Strength is the sum of emotional pain a person can endure without becoming resentful (without ressentiment).