There should come a point in any man’s life where he is willing and able to commit an act of violence. Our soft and decadent culture recoils at the thought, but only because most men won’t encounter a situation where they must be violent.

But as political divisions widen and crime in major Western cities increases, this state of peace may cease to exist. Thus, men must get comfortable with the idea of physical force to protect not only themselves, but those they love. Unfortunately, women – and the culture in general – will have the hardest time coming to terms with this reality.

Consider, for example a video released two years ago by The Cut, in which a group of mothers were asked a series of questions on how far they would go to protect their children. “Would you kill for your child?” ran the first question. Shockingly, it didn’t elicit an easy yes for many of the mothers.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes as long as it’s legal,” one mother hedged.

How would this mother act, then, if hurting her children in a variety of ways ever becomes legal, as it has for mothers in various countries and time periods? What happens when the authority figures themselves are those against whom you must protect your children?

It may be that when not under pressure before a camera these mothers would have no trouble doing what it takes to protect their children in a real-life scenario, Perhaps they’re only struggling in a hypothetical situation and maternal instincts will kick in right when needed.

But it’s also not surprising that mothers would be lukewarm towards the idea that they may be called upon to commit violence to protect their children. After all, violent protection is man’s work.

Consider just a few recent examples of this courtesy of the X platform.

“I’d evaporate entire continents for her smile and not feel an ounce of guilt,” one father wrote, displaying a picture of him holding his tiny daughter.

“I knew a guy whose kids were removed from his care, who said to me, ‘I’d do anything for my kids. I’d kill for my kids,’” another responded. “He seemed to think this would reassure me he was a good parent, as opposed to someone who felt compelled to advertise a willingness to commit acts of violence.”

In reality, everyone has some amount of willingness to commit violence. Indeed, if no possible scenario of injustice could make you imagine yourself committing an act of violence, it is likely your moral sensibilities are dulled to an alarming point. Even the desire to defend oneself is a form of violent protection.

For men, the desire to protect at all costs is one of the most masculine traits of the male sex. Properly oriented, this trait makes the world a better place.

But this trait is also under increasing attack, right when we need it the most. Perhaps it’s time we recognize that our discomfort with the violent limits of masculinity is both a symptom and a cause of the feminization of our men and our culture.

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This article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

Image Credit: Freerange Stock