I was watching a TV show last night where a Japanese monk had to go and stand under a waterfall so cold that there was a possibility it could stop his heart. He had to stand there until his master was satisfied. The purpose - to grow from facing hardship, pain, and fear. This man claimed that he'd experience a lot of trauma in his life, and that his journey as a monk, including exercises such as this, was helping him to heal.

I completely agree that the hypermasculine man has never really accessed his gifts because he is afraid of the vulnerability it would take to discover them. Much easier to try to make himself feel better by trying to make someone else look worse. Meanwhile, truly tough men, such as the ones who train in martial arts, have to face not only pain, but parts of themselves, in the process.

Really good piece!