I read Sam Keene's To a Dancing God when I was in my late twenties — in other words, a long time ago. But Keen's message has stuck with me all these years. Apart from the cultural forces at work that define us in roles that seem to say who we are, there is a Self that longs for expression in a dance through the cosmos, breaking rules as we go along and working toward a lifestyle that promotes joy, awe, and deep connection.
Next came Fire in the Belly and the realization that men needed a new paradigm. Feminism had allowed women to move into new roles with new meanings, but men were stuck with the same old roles of provider, protector, and protagonist in a capitalist society based upon greed and injustice. How do we create a paradigm for men that nurtures, develops, and celebrates positive masculinity?
Now we find ourselves under the microscope for the sins of the patriarchy, and rightly so to a large extent.
—John
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