Man Stuff

Kudos to the men of the Ozark Prairie Baptist Association for the Men's and Boy's Fish Fry last night at the Main Street Baptist Church in Greenfield MO last night.

The food was great and I hope that everybody had the same great time that I did. I think that it is so important that men and boys have these types of get togethers. The Bible tells us that even as iron sharpens iron, so the countenance of one man sharpens another. We are better when we hold each other accountable.

While I'm on the subject of man stuff, here's something that I've been meaning to write about for a while now...man hugs. It use to be that a simple handshake was the customary greeting for men in the US. I know that different cultures greet each other differently and that a kiss on the cheek (or both cheeks) is normal in many cultures. But it's a little confusing when there are mixed acceptabilities in the same culture. Maybe I'm just not as friendly as I seem to be. I don't mind greeting a friend with a man hug and I certainly don't mind (I actually prefer) greeting a family member with a man hug. But too many acquaintances feel the need to hug when I think that a hand shake would do fine. I hate to think of myself as old fashioned or worse--curmudgeonly, but it would appear that I'm starting to fall into those catagories. Are men trying to be less confrontational and more sensative appearing by hugging? Have we quit being competitive in the manly way of nature? Is this something we do for ourselves or are we being softer for the women that are watching? Am I just over analyzing a change in generational greetings?

In the end, for close friends and family, hugs are good. For others, I'm always comfortable with the handshake and usually let the other guy initiate the man hug. It's not that they make me uncomfortable, I just never really know when it's appropriate.

Oh well. Today I'll greet Aaron with a hug...and that's definitely OK.

John