Iron John and the Wild Woman Never Say Die

I finished Iron John, by Robert Bly.

At first I felt somewhat pissed on. Women got a bad rap, especially moms. Like we emasculate our boys or something.

But I continued reading and keeping my cool, calm non judgemental self (!) in tow. I realized its more an indictment of modern society and liberalism. The pacifist mentality of avoiding conflict, giving in to demands for civility when none is called for works against women as well.

The author takes us on a step by step analysis of the fable and all its secret meanings. In the end, the wild woman, the Princess marries the guy who became a full man by killing the enemies.

The alternate religions and mythology may leave bible believing church goers unhappy with this book, so I can't say I recommend it.

Now working on the Canadian book, Never Say Die.

I talked about Chapter 1, the Psychological Aspects, a couple days ago. Never giving up, feeling you have some control, at whatever level.

Chapter 2 is about general Canadian geography. All regions have food, no deserts

In Chapter 3 I learned about parachutes and falling properly.  The main thing about falling properly, keep your feet together! I guess that should be self explanatory, I just never thought much about the dire consequences of not following this rule. Of course all of us have jumped off garage roofs in our youth know to bend the knees slightly and roll when landing. Parachutes are a science. The rate of decent is astounding. A body can fall 65,000 feet in 4 minutes, with a parachute it can take 32 minutes. Pulling the rip cord should not be done til about 10,000 feet or you could die freezing or without oxygen.

The feet together thing is my takeaway here. I don't plan on parachuting any time soon. As a survivalist, all knowledge is good knowledge. Ya never know.

Chapter 4 is about first aid. That should be good.

More On Iron John

Reading my way through this "men's book" is beginning to feel like work.  I find myself scanning. Robert Bly makes a great case for the Wild Man, not to be confused with the savage man.

Wild Men are not softened by the overpowering feminist influences. I read a posting on a survivalist blog bemoaning the "rampant feminism". I guess this is what they mean.

I will read this entire book because it does make sense. I think its belaboring the issue, hence I scan. This is a sign to put the book down and take it in smaller doses. Wild Men are my type. If I wanted a weak man, I'd get a soft woman.

I really can't see the Wild Man reading this work. It seems to speak more to the man who wants to free himself, to venture out and trust his instincts, to chuck away the confines of cultural demands for "the whole man",  a nurturing, household chore splitting, diaper changing spouse.

To each their own. Not saying what anyone should do except find their own Nirvana.

So, to cut the mythology and get some practical applications, I began Never Say Die. This survival manual was published in 1979 for the Canadian Air Force. Its no nonsense first chapter totally makes the case for proper psychology over any other possible advantage gear might give.

The right attitude means accepting and dealing with fear, recognizing the emergency immediately, and coping with the 7 enemies of survival, being Pain, cold, thirst, hunger, fatigue and boredom-loneliness.

The chapter ends with a detailed description of good group dynamics, including believing in your leader, having confidence you are a valuable part of that group.

I think these two books provide a balance and will continue to read each one daily until finished, reporting here regularly.

Survival Books on Our Shelves

Found on one of the book shelves here at home:
Never Say Die, The Survival Book, The Death of Albert Johnson, How to Stay Alive in the Woods, Being Your Own Wilderness Dcotor,Iron John and Non- Flowering Plants.

As I read and practice the skills here in, I'll give reports, along with the authors etc.

Right now I'm doing Iron John by Robert Bly. Its a book about Men, and was number one National Bestseller. This book is sort of a Women Who Run with Wolves type thing, but much more readable. The author is using some parables and fairy tales to expound on the Wild Man. He bemoans the emergence of the Soft Man, a man in touch with his feminine side.

I agree.
A Wild Man is hot, interesting, sexy. Soft touchy feely men are too much like women, and we need two sexes to make life interesting. The author talks about initiation in ancient societies, leading to Strong, capable, protector types.

I'm only on page 20 of this 259 page book. I'll report more after I finish it. I really like the writing style of Robert Bly, and it won't take long to devour this book.