Tenet 6 – Community Matters (Beyond Just Your Household)

 

Tenet 6 of Positive Masculinity

Be a Pillar in Your Community

“The strongest men aren’t isolated—they’re invested.”

You can bench 300, build a six-figure business, or out-hustle your peers. But if your neighborhood falls apart and you don’t notice—or don’t care—you’re not a pillar. You’re just another man passing through. You need to be a pillar in your community.

Community isn’t someone else’s job. It starts with the guy in the mirror. 

tenet 7 “community matters (beyond just your household)”

“If you love friends, you will serve your friends. If you love community, you will serve your community. If you love money, you will serve your money. And if you love only yourself, you will serve only yourself. And you will have only yourself.”

Stephen Colbert

 

❌ The Weak Version: Lone Wolf Syndrome

Some men think disappearing is strength. They brag about staying disconnected—no small talk, no neighbors, no attachments.

That’s not stoicism. That’s abandonment.

A real man doesn’t hide from the mess. He shows up for it.

🏗️ What a Pillar Does

  • He introduces himself before he’s needed.

  • He helps fix the broken fence, change the flat tire, carry the heavy box.

  • He votes. He volunteers. He’s known.

Being a pillar doesn’t mean being perfect or public—it means being present.

🧠 Check Yourself:

  • Do I know my neighbors by name—or just their license plates?

  • Have I offered help lately—or just watched?

  • Am I showing my kids what it looks like to belong, to build, to give?

🔧 Practice This

Start small. Big impact doesn’t require big gestures.

  • Keep your street clean. Start there.

  • Offer your skills—tools, time, or tech—to someone who needs them.

  • Mentor a younger man who’s struggling.

  • Sit on a community board. Join a cleanup. Coach a sport.

  • Make one space better because you were in it.

🔬 Deep Dive: Why It Matters

Humans need connection. Men need purpose. Communities need capable men.

🌱 What happens when men show up:

🏚️ What happens when we don’t:

  • Isolation breeds resentment, addiction, and collapse

  • Broken communities become breeding grounds for broken men
    [Source: Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone]

🧠 And for you?

Men who engage in community report:

The Bottom Line:
Don’t wait for the world to fix itself. Be one of the men who holds it up.


Be a neighbor. Be a mentor.

Be a force for good.

Be a pillar—even if no one says thank you.