The masculine urge to achieve immortality through the creation of everlasting works or through the accomplishment of unique deeds is a real thing.
You could argue that there is a direct correlation between testosterone levels and the desire for recognition. Men throughout history have pursued this, and modern men have forgotten that in most cases, there lies in this pursuit one of the deepest driving forces of success, purpose, and fulfillment.
This is a nuanced issue, though: what does it mean to write your name in the history books? Is a life only well lived if it is remembered by millions of people for thousands of years?
I do not think so. I believe there are multiple ways of achieving the goal of immortality.
THE GREAT MEN OF HISTORY
When we think about historical men that we can look up to, we tend to think about those that are near mythical creatures: Jesus Christ, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, and so on. These are the men that will be remembered forever and that will inspire millions of men over thousands of years. But, are those the only men that have achieved recognition beyond their death? Are they the only men that we should try to emulate?
There's no doubt that they were great men, and there's no doubt about their worth. But I think that it's wise to enlarge the pool of male role-models in order to include more modest, yet no less honorable men in it.
Study Alexander, by all means. But you have great men much closer at hand: how about your father? Grandfather? Great-grandfathers? Your bloodline is practially endless, and I'm 100% certain that it contains a vast number of incredibly wise and strong men.
These are also immortal men. They are men that have build an everlasting legacy: your family. They are men that have achieved the goal of after-death remembrance, in the legacy they've left with you.
IMMORTALITY
To be a conqueror of nations and a founder of empires is not the only way of achieving immortality. It is not the only way of living a life full of purpose either.
Some men will do that. Maybe it will be you. Maybe it won't. Maybe you won't achieve the everlasting fame that the most famous figures of history have achieved. Does that mean that your name will be forgotten the second you die? No. You can still strive to be remembered, and you should. Maybe the masses won't know your name, but you better make damn sure that your kids do, that your grandkids do, and that as many of your descendants as possible do remember who you were.
That's greatness. That's immortality.
A CALL TO ACTION
You should strive to leave a legacy and to be remembered throughout the ages. But don't believe for a second that this is only possible through great feats of war, conquest and adventure. That's one of the ways, but don't get discouraged and fall into nihilism if you find yourself incapable of founding Chadistan or discovering a new continent. You can leave your name set in stone in the history books of your family. You can be a man so great for your loved ones that they tell stories about you for years to come. That shpuld be the focus, and whether you achieve that by defeating a great foe or by being simply a man of virtue day by day is not as relevant as you may think it is. The important thing is that you too can be remembered: you just need to be rememebered by the right people: the ones you love.
Speaking of creating stuff, I just launched my online store with some original (and pretty cool) designs. Everything is discounted to celebrate the launch at the moment, so if you'd take a moment to check out the designs and purchase something of the store if you like them, it would be greatly appreciated.
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