This article was written by Pickens Moore, MSW, who at the time was a member of the Board of Directors of MMWI. It was submitted, for publication in their Spring 2004 issues, to Male Call, the national newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Men’s Network, and to Man Alive!, the quarterly newsletter of the New Mexico men’s movement.

The traditional manhood construct fails to meet the demands of our contemporary situation, and stands in the way of men’s full participation and stewardship of the continuities of human life. It tends to sanction primarily aggressive outlets for our energies, and exploitative methods for getting our needs met. It denies men the strength that comes from a balanced emotional, mental and spiritual participation in life.

Underlying feelings of resignation, weakness and insecurity result from the inability of the old construct to meet the demands of the contemporary world. There is grave risk that males will resort to aggressive, warlike behavior in an effort to deny our inner weakness. Many people today are reacting as if a destructive course is inevitable, as if there were no choice.

Mariposa Men’s Wellness Institute, based in St. Louis, Missouri, is attempting to provide a framework for developing a choice. We believe this must come from the lives of individual men coming together. We believe there is an untapped reservoir of energy, insight and dedication among men everywhere, who desire lives of meaningful connection with their families, their brothers and the world. Our mission is “the promotion of men’s emotional wellness.” We believe a more comprehensive, flexible and meaningful “manhood construct” can allow men to be in touch with their true strength, and can open the doorway to more useful ways of handling life’s challenges, so that destructive posturing and acts of aggressivity lose their meaning and become unnecessary. Think this is utopian? We think not.

This is an enormous hidden cost which can help reveal the structure of the male myth that confines us. We begin to see the other, less dramatic traumas that limit our abilities to connect with others, and leave us with small circles of addictive behaviors, which bring false relief.

We plan to bring this area into the light through public education about the costs to society. We plan to develop a training and certification program for therapists, and a program of men’s discussion groups which would include survivors.

Our second focal point, fatherhood, which should be a major source of meaning and fulfillment for men, is often the least. Fatherhood is the most intimate and direct way for men to exercise their stewardship of human values for present and future generations of children.

Looking inside at our own needs for emotional development is the first step in taking responsibility for our behavior. We must do that in order to avoid simply externalizing our internal conflicts, projecting them onto others, and taking up arms against the world.

We need your donations and thoughts to help us develop materials, conferences and outreach to others. We have 501(c)(3) status; therefore, donations are tax-deductible. Checks can be made to: Mariposa Men’s Wellness Institute and sent to P.O. Box 190371, St. Louis, MO 63119. For further information, please contact Donald B. Jeffries, MPA, MSW, Executive Director of MMWI at mariposa51@sbcglobal.net or log onto http://www.mmwi-stl.org.

Mariposa Men’s Wellness Institute was founded in 2001

to help men become emotionally healthy.