A simple perspective on the meaning of "alpha"

[LJC]

I had posted the following in another thread, but thought it might be a good addition to the tips section for those who may not wander into the mature man's forum often:

A lot of people struggle to define the term alpha because they are trying to assign grandiose benchmarks to it. It becomes rhetorical in this way.

Money, status, education, confidence... the list goes on and on, but none of these things really makes a man a man. It is the journey itself in acquiring all things which do not come easy in life that eventually makes the man a true man.

I can hand a man a million dollars in cash, but he will be no more financially savvy for it. Savvy is the self made millionaire who can lose every penny of his fortune and can find a way to earn it back.

I can tell a man every day that he is a good person and should believe in himself, but his confidence will still be weak. Yet a man who struggles against adversity, triumphs and becomes proud of it will no longer need any outside encouragement. He will know his strength and his worth deep in his soul better than anyone could ever possibly comprehend.

I can hand an idiot a degree from Harvard, but he's still going to be an idiot. The smart man is one who is curious and hungry to learn a little something new every single day.

I can put a man on a magazine cover or in a movie but he will be forgotten very quickly. Because he has done nothing to earn the status, he will also know nothing about keeping it.

Its not about how much money you have, it's about how you earned it.
Its not about how many friends you have, its about how you got them.
Ad nauseum....

 

[resilient]

Good post, it reminded me of Robert Kipling's poem "If".

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

 

[btownbuck2012]

Bump. Excellent post.

 

[Julian]

I vote for @RichardTheFrog


Oh wait i thought this thread was the definition of the biggest phaggot on the forum. Sorry

 

[RichardTheFrog]

I vote for @RichardTheFrog


Oh wait i thought this thread was the definition of the biggest phaggot on the forum. Sorry

How much do you make in a year? Show us pictures of all your girls.

 

[Erik VL]

People always try to define alpha to fit the values they approve of. The truth is alpha means a man with the power to arrange things to his liking. Who has the qualities it takes to lead - by charm, or manipulation, or convincing, or whatever it is he needs to do to affect others. He is the man who "has what it takes". He is "a winner".

Alpha is morally neutral. He could be a vicious murderer or a great builder. Or he could do little, but still has his way when he wants it.

In other words, it's like physical strength: It is morally neutral. You can use it for good things or bad things.

In short, Alpha is the man who controls his surroundings instead of being controlled by them.

Keep in mind this comes from the leader of a pack of wolves, called the "alpha male". Maybe he is good to the pack or bad to it, but he has whatever qualities it takes to be the pack leader, and that makes him the alpha.

 

[Chev.Chelios]

Doesnt matter where youre at in life, rich or poor.. if you lost everything and restarting from ground zero, living day to day locked in the process of progression and and aquiring. That is whats attractive.

A stagnant rich man is boring..
A stagnatting poor more is a zombie.

 

[switch7]

I had posted the following in another thread, but thought it might be a good addition to the tips section for those who may not wander into the mature man's forum often:

A lot of people struggle to define the term alpha because they are trying to assign grandiose benchmarks to it. It becomes rhetorical in this way.

Money, status, education, confidence... the list goes on and on, but none of these things really makes a man a man. It is the journey itself in acquiring all things which do not come easy in life that eventually makes the man a true man.

I can hand a man a million dollars in cash, but he will be no more financially savvy for it. Savvy is the self made millionaire who can lose every penny of his fortune and can find a way to earn it back.

I can tell a man every day that he is a good person and should believe in himself, but his confidence will still be weak. Yet a man who struggles against adversity, triumphs and becomes proud of it will no longer need any outside encouragement. He will know his strength and his worth deep in his soul better than anyone could ever possibly comprehend.

I can hand an idiot a degree from Harvard, but he's still going to be an idiot. The smart man is one who is curious and hungry to learn a little something new every single day.

I can put a man on a magazine cover or in a movie but he will be forgotten very quickly. Because he has done nothing to earn the status, he will also know nothing about keeping it.

Its not about how much money you have, it's about how you earned it.
Its not about how many friends you have, its about how you got them.
Ad nauseum....

I call this having character.

 

[resilient]

Bumping this thread for guys out there struggling against self-doubt and setbacks in life and game. Keep pushing forward... persevere!

Read the poem, the second post in this thread by Kipling at the top, it's timeless.