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helpfordad #2650198 07/26/12 03:56 PM
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HFD wins the prize!

Now, would you like to play again, and supply WHEN in Admiral Lord Nelson's career he used the term?

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Originally Posted by NeverGuessed
Now, would you like to play again, and supply WHEN in Admiral Lord Nelson's career he used the term?

I believe it was around when he whooped the French at the Battle of the Nile.


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If memory serves, it was used in reference to the men he fought with during a campaign in....Spain or Egypt, I think.

(BTW -- in teaching Shakespeare plays/momologues to my students, the St. Crispin's Day speech, Seven Ages of Man, etc., I often instruct them of the other contexts/allusions they may find reference to...I joke that ANYTHING can be referred back to Shakespeare, the Beetles, or Seinfeld ha, ha).

bitbucket #2650209 07/26/12 04:23 PM
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...around when he whooped the French at the Battle of the Nile.

Just prior, actually! He was actually bemoaning that he was not given overall command in the Med:

Yet, if I know my own thoughts, it is not for myself, or on my own account chiefly, that
I feel the sting and the disappointment! No! it is for my brave officers; for my noble-minded
friends and comrades. Such a gallant set of fellows! Such a band of brothers!

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Nice work, bit...

helpfordad #2650221 07/26/12 05:28 PM
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Originally Posted by helpfordad
Nice work, bit...

Thanks! It's nice to know that all that time spent playing Wooden Ships and Iron Men when I was a kid weren't wasted. That's what I love about old school board wargaming; it makes the history come alive.

Anyone seen chrisner? He still owes me a quick game of Squad Leader...


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I see some gentleman at this time who need this inspiration;

Quote
One harmful mindset that can keep a man from fulfilling his calling and potential is self-coddling. This is when he convinces himself he deserves a break, and runs to something that ultimately harms himself.

The WWII Marines of K/3/5 had been fighting on Guadalcanal for weeks. C-rations had run out, and the men ate twice daily portions of coconuts and wormy rice they�d confiscated from the Japanese.

PFC Sid Phillips (featured in HBO�s The Pacific) grew increasingly concerned for his hometown friend, W.O. Brown, racked with severe dysentery. Everything W.O. tried to eat ran straight through him. There was no medicine. No cots to lie on. The sick were simply stretched out on the ground. W.O. grew so emaciated he was too weak even to sit up. Flies covered him as he lay in his own diarrhea.

�It was bad,� Phillips reported in an interview with me. �I didn�t think W.O. was going to survive.�


Each day, Phillips carried W.O. to the ocean and helped him get clean. I asked Phillips if he remembered any specific conversations he had with W.O. during these times of carrying him. Here, I was expecting a poignant story. I pictured this young battle-hardened Marine carrying his nearly-dead buddy to the water. �Keep holding on,� Phillips would whisper. �Have courage. Just think of mom and apple pie.� Something like that.

But Phillips just chuckled. �Oh yeah, I remember. I told W.O. to stop being such a faker and take a salt tablet.�

The response threw me. I asked Phillips (who eventually became a medical doctor) what his strategy was.

�Well, it didn�t help a man to overly commiserate with him,� Phillips said. �If you did, it just depressed him. But if you kidded him, it made him smile. The ribbing was all good natured. He�d fire back some wisecrack at you, and soon he�d get to fighting again.�


A high school football movie comes to mind... Johnny Be Good? I can't remember...

A player gets hurt after a play, and complains to the coach; "Coach, I think I broke my [Richard]!"

The coach's response?

"Rub some dirt on it, and get back in there!"

Men are strange creatures... we are prone to the same forces which women are, and prone to the same collapse. Yet, it seems that for us, we first must be WILLING to collapse.

Why is it that a rib from a comrade will somehow give us enough vigor to take that next step, and the next, then the next?

Maybe it is the way we are wired to rise to challenges.

Now, in some eyes I am still a pup. But, in my time, I have worked with a broad range of men (and women) from a menagerie of backgrounds, levels of education, and social placements.

Yet, "the game" remains ever intact. The constant jabber and exchange of jabs and taunts, the stream of endless, almost boyish, playfulness never ceases. Most of the dialogue that happens between male colleagues, in my observation, has two possible outcomes if one were to attempt to carry it on to interaction with women; 1) a sexual harassment lawsuit, 2) an apology for being crass, rude, or cruel (and possibly another lawsuit).

Quote
How does this apply to manhood today?

Phillips respected W.O. Brown as someone who had the capacity to get up and go on. So let�s believe the same about ourselves.

Anytime a man is in a downed place�i.e. he�s annoyed, angry, tired, hurt, lonely, stressed, or frustrated�he is tempted to become overly sympathetic with himself. He gets that insidious, creepy, pampering mindset that tells him he deserves a break�just this once.

I�m not talking about kicking back on the couch with a bag of Doritos. Not that kind of a break.

I�m talking about blowing it: the lie that it�s okay to run to a favorite vice. We�ve all got them. We run to whatever ultimately harms us, because we�ve convinced ourselves it helps. It�s the worst form of coddling.

What�s the solution?

Get tough with yourself. Knock it off, ya faker. Take a salt tablet, and get back to the battle. Sure, frustrations exist. But you don�t need that bottle. You don�t need that porn. You don�t need to give in to that moment of rage on the freeway. You�ve only convinced yourself you do.

By the way, the strategy works. W.O. Brown survived the dysentery�and the war.

http://artofmanliness.com/2012/07/20/getting-tough-with-yourself/


Get tough on yourself, not your spouse. Not your children.


Take a look around; MB is tough on men, too.


"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr

"Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons." - Michael Shermer

"Fair speech may hide a foul heart." - Samwise Gamgee LOTR
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HX3,

If this was posted in reference to my situation, I guess I'm too dense to make the connection. I think you're gonna have to spell it out.

OWH

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HHH-

I got it.

Timely post for me at least. Going thru some non-manly insecurity for no apparent reason this week.

I wont t/j with the details but the post above really set my head straight this morning.

Thanks, I needed that.

mss


Life keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the fuuuu-ture.
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Originally Posted by OldWarHorse
HX3,

If this was posted in reference to my situation, I guess I'm too dense to make the connection. I think you're gonna have to spell it out.

OWH

This little space on the forum, Aged Combat Equine, is something I carved out just for us fellas. I neglect it from time to time... which I intended to do from the start. But sometimes I read something and I bring it here. To share with other men. Men who need some light in their lives.

I just skimmed your thread before writing this post due to your wondering if my post was specifically for you. I see you have a fight on your hands... again.


If you want a connection, simply read the opening story.

When you hit those walls, when all seems lost and you just want to give in... collapse, fall into a bottle, hit the strip club for some Plan FU...


... well, knock it off, ya faker! Take a salt tablet! Get back in the battle!


Brother, until you stop breathing, there is more gas in the tank.


"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr

"Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons." - Michael Shermer

"Fair speech may hide a foul heart." - Samwise Gamgee LOTR
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You are spot-on, HHH. I know I have caused a lot of problems in my life by coddling myself, just as you describe. When I first arrived here, people frequently called me out for giving myself a pass while being hard on Prisca for the exact same things!

And you are right, MB is harder on men than women. It's not fair! But I guess I wouldn't look very manly if I put the "dramaqueen" smiley in here as a reaction. It's not fair, but what alternative is there? A bad marriage takes pump-priming, and most women just do not have the stamina for that that most men have.

I really like for this board to function as a coach for men, in the same way an athletic coach would help a guy push himself further than he thinks he can go, this board can function as a support group that tells a guy "Yes, you can do it. You can make one more bench press, you can run one more lap, you can hit that ball straight, you are capable of doing what you do not believe you can do."

Dig deep within yourself and find it, and you'll be amazed at the rewards life has to offer. You will be proud of yourself, too.


If you are serious about saving your marriage, you can't get it all on this forum. You've got to listen to the Marriage Builders Radio show, every day. Install the app!

Married to my radiant trophy wife, Prisca, 19 years. Father of 8.
Attended Marriage Builders weekend in May 2010

If your wife is not on board with MB, some of my posts to other men might help you.
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Originally Posted by MikeStillSmiling
HHH-

I got it.

Timely post for me at least. Going thru some non-manly insecurity for no apparent reason this week.

I wont t/j with the details but the post above really set my head straight this morning.

Thanks, I needed that.

mss

Mike,

This thread is general discussion, and even now, the ladies of the board have allowed this to be kind of a "man cave."

Honestly, ANY time you feel the need, post away. There is no such thing as t/j here, brother.


"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr

"Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons." - Michael Shermer

"Fair speech may hide a foul heart." - Samwise Gamgee LOTR
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Originally Posted by HoldHerHand
I just skimmed your thread before writing this post due to your wondering if my post was specifically for you. I see you have a fight on your hands... again.


If you want a connection, simply read the opening story.

When you hit those walls, when all seems lost and you just want to give in... collapse, fall into a bottle, hit the strip club for some Plan FU...


... well, knock it off, ya faker! Take a salt tablet! Get back in the battle!


Brother, until you stop breathing, there is more gas in the tank.

Gotcha. You're right. I'm back in the thick of it at the moment.

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Yeah HHH, lol Your Sig Line reminds me of what your saying about "take a salt Tablet, get back in the battle ya faker!"

"Every time I hit a nail on the head, my thumb throbs to remind me of all the times I missed!"

"Yeah be thankful you have a thumb to hit and a house to build!" would be the appropriate comeback for that.

I agree with us guys, that feeling sorry for ourselves is very destrucive

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Originally Posted by ConstantProcess
Yeah HHH, lol Your Sig Line reminds me of what your saying about "take a salt Tablet, get back in the battle ya faker!"

"Every time I hit a nail on the head, my thumb throbs to remind me of all the times I missed!"

"Yeah be thankful you have a thumb to hit and a house to build!" would be the appropriate comeback for that.

I agree with us guys, that feeling sorry for ourselves is very destrucive


Nice to see you around, brother.


The sig prior to this had a long, drawn out statement about humility. I think this one works better for me.

grin

There was a fantastic quote I read once where Michael Jordan rambled off the his number of missed shots and games lost.

In the end, no victor is free of loss.


"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr

"Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons." - Michael Shermer

"Fair speech may hide a foul heart." - Samwise Gamgee LOTR
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Originally Posted by ConstantProcess
I agree with us guys, that feeling sorry for ourselves is very destrucive

Ain't that the truth! I'm facing a non-moveable work deadline I can't possibly meet, and a demonstration next week with a customer that I'm absolutely dreading. I'm looking at almost certainly losing my funding for next year, which will likely mean changing jobs.

I have two choices: dissolve into a useless puddle of self-pity, or keep hitting it hard for another week. My boss actually commented on my tenacity, remarking that anyone else he knows would have quit weeks ago.

"Hard pressed on my right; center is yielding; impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent, I attack!" - Marshall Foch


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Thanks guys. I mean that sincerely.


FWW/BW (me)
WH
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Blended Family with 7 kids between us
Too much hurt and pain on both sides that my brain hurts just thinking about it all.



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Did any of you guys watch the weightlifting at the Olympics?

One of the big guyss dropped the 200kg bar on his head, knocked to the floor with the weight bar on top of him.

He staggers to his feet "Im good that didnt hurt a bit" and walks off.

Maybe no brain no pain, but it was more impressive than the guy that won the gold medal.

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Yeah no brain no pain, lol allways loved that one. As a young man I used to think that I couldn't complain about pain, so bore up with all kinds of injures, broken bones and damage, that can only be attributed to being a man, "The John Wayns way, (Heck my Dad so reminded me of his Iconic image and he even looked like him, but dollars to donuts my Dad was tougher and took more than his fair share of pain)..,,,,
But , after being so stout and strong, it all of a sudden means I have no brain?

Ok. Ok, I guess it is better to be sensitive, which I call aware rather than subject myself to the unmanly attributes that word generally means. But then if you come off in public like you are a thinker, and especially in my neck of the Northeast woods,( woods really folks), you would be cajoled for being to smart for your own britches ...

Yeah ya can't win... Lol

Oh yeah, being smart and book-learnin didn't make you a man in them parts. Well of course it didn't

But the no brain no pain saying has always been a puzzle to me in a way.

Had me thinking about pro football players and the pain they have to put up with when they retire. Not having to put on the harness and hit the field anymore, retirement can be a death knoll <sp>if they use painkillers and all of a sudden ,(as retirement seems rather sudden), they start to look for all those things they put off all thier lives. It CAN be a slippery slope for them, and when painkillers are used to much, or abused say, they can lose touch.

Life has pain, and dealing with it means you must have a brain. It's how you use it that makes the difference. Be careful of those things that promise no pain
Your probably gonna set yourself up for some


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Teilhard de Chardin..“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ...Sounds about right to me.
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Al Bundy quote

"If it weren't for you Peg I would ne retired from profession football and be addicted to the best pain killers money can buy!"

Of course add that Al Bundy snarling pout to that

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