C.B. Peter Morgan, Contributor
Bishop C.B. Peter Morgan, of Kingston City Church addresses the gathering at the Men on a Mission 2008 conference.
The following is an edited excerpt of a presentation made by Bishop C.B. Peter Morgan, of Kingston City Church, at last Saturday's 'Men on a Mission 2008' conference, which was held at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church. Bishop Morgan spoke on the topic 'Understanding the Male Ego and Male Identity'.
It is the premise of this conference today that the transformation of our society and nation demands an adjustment to the fundamental understanding of our manhood and the role that our males must play within the society domestically and in the public arena.
Hence, the topic of my presentation 'Understanding the Male Ego and Male Identity'.
To do so, I have used as my primary reference the biblical account of the origin of man which, whether we take it literally or not, provides an account of the codes which formulated original man and which are preserved in the collective consciousness of who we are as the male of the species.
Characteristics of identity
It is my finding that male identity is rooted in the male ego. Unfortunately, we have come to identify man first and dominantly as a sexual being. That is only one characteristic of his identity.
The biblical account of the origin of man in Genesis 2:7-24, demonstrates that the male of the species was created, and was environmentally cultured, to have a strong ego. There are three pivotal characteristics around which his identity is shaped:
Man is first and foremost a spiritual being who must understand himself in relation to God. Man has an affinity to the divine: "... (God) breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." v.7
Man was made a spiritual soul by being inspired by the breath of God. Hence to his ego was given a God-likeness, a strong sense of identity with the nature of God.
n Man must identify himself in relation to his environment along with the vocational responsibility he bears to be a good steward of God's creation.
- Identification with the earth: "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground. "( v.7)
Man was made from the dust of the earth. His ego is strongly 'turf conscious' and physically defined with a sense of territorial authority. The male ego has a natural affinity to the earth. It is outbound, identifying with the natural spatial, external world.
- Achievement driven: "God planted a garden eastward of Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed" (vv.8-14)
"God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it." (v.15)
Man was placed within a natural environment of untapped mineral and vegetable resources which it was his responsibility to explore and develop.
Original man was mandated to tend and keep his garden, and to provide protection and care for his environment. The ego strength of man was to protect, to produce and provide adequately for his material needs. His ego is wired to achieve economically within the market place on behalf of his family.
Man emerges as a sexual creature in relation to his counterpart in whom he saw himself, and with whom he now engages in the intimate process of procreating and so preserving the human race. "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." (v.18)
Man was made the natural source and father of the human race in two ways - husbanding and fathering. These are the twin elements in the fruitfulness of his seed. It is interesting to note that God trained the man first in animal and agro husbandry before He gave him to a female sexually.
The ego of a man has the capacity to love (as a husband) his wife heroically unto death. In this, is the ego of man satisfied.
A man is not fulfilled in his manhood until he has fathered his own image and likeness. Fatherhood is a creative instinct of being the originator or author or seed bearer of a dream. This may be achieved bio-genetically, or culturally or spiritually. Hence, in the name of a man is the pride of his ego.
In these two (above) is the ego of man satisfied.
All men are created with an ego identity which defines his posture and sense of authority as a male man. The problem with man is that sin has twisted the core of his being and deregulated his ego. Because man has shrugged off God, sin clouds his perception and warps his judgment so he has become a danger to himself, abusive toward others, destructive to his environment, and derailed from his original created purpose.
Dysfunctional males
Bishop C.B. Peter Morgan (with back turned), of Kingston City Church, speaks with attendees from Majesty Gardens who were at The Gleaner-sponsored 'Men on a Mission 2008' conference last Saturday. - Photos by Norman Grindley/Acting Photography Editor
In his effort to cling to his ego power, he has turned inward in selfish, self-gratifying, self-deifying and ultimately self-destructive ways. Man has learned to manipulate the society, shape its laws, 'garrisonise' its people, politicise its power to establish and maintain his ego pride. Man's defective ego functions have become his greatest weapon of mass destruction.
But the evidence today. especially in Jamaica, is that historical, cultural and in our social upbringing. we have raised generations of weak-willed men, men with a defective ego, who have become disoriented, gender confused, feminised and often subjugated by so call strong women.
It must be noted that the level, extent and nature of the dysfunctionality of our males are dependent on the nature of their socio-cultural orientation, and the conscious efforts made to compensate and counteract these elements destructive to the male ego.
For example, a strong wholesome male identity is evident in the maroon and Rastafarian communities. The maroon society has preserved a strong ego strength in their males, while the Rastafarian culture has ingrained the element of domestic and social pre-eminence amongst its male youths.
Restoring male ego
God still pursues men and restores them from the inside out. A restored male ego begins with refocusing the soul to become a new man in Christ with a restored relationship to his Father Creator, a faithful companion to the female of the species, and to assume God's original intention for his life as steward of God's creation environment.
It is our challenge today to mentor our young men in every sphere of our society to preserve and mature the integrity of the male ego.
First, in order to do so, I recommend that our male population must close ranks. The major conflicts, tensions, prejudices and crimes are men-on-men.
Be men first and then count the differences (age, education, social status, sexual rivalry etc)
Second, we must take up as a national challenge the responsibility to mentor the next generation. We have examples to follow:
The Church has within its history a long tradition of mentorship and discipleship designed to bring its young converts into a mature relationship with Christ, and to make them strong witnesses in convincing others to accept the Christian faith. Less obvious is its efforts to equip its members with the faith and disposition to become good citizens within their nation and good stewards within their communities.
What is less acknowledged is the effective mentorship of our young men done, not within the environment of the socially and educationally privileged but amongst the less privileged where they are culturally empowered to resist the traditional values of 'main stream society'.
The most prominent male heroes of our society today are the young men who have emerged with a dominant ego strength displayed in the fields of sport, on the stages of entertainment and in the street culture of confrontational leadership. They have emerged from the often neglected inner-city communities.
Generally, biblical teachings and the Jewish culture portray the significance of mentorship in the succession of authority and responsibility and values, in vocational, relational and religious spheres of life in the upbringing of our males.
Our best example is the relationship between Jesus of Nazareth and His core disciples who succeeded Him and who 'turned the world upside down.'
Keys for unlocking identity
Here are 10 codes to unlock the male ego and to restore wholesome male identity:
The male ego is example led. (Men follow men.) He responds to a strong and positive image example which declares 'Follow Me, I know who I am'. Boys need heroes, example-setting fathers, achievers, etc.
The male ego must be personally called. He responds to those who express confidence and trust in him. Men are best responsive, if privately attended to. They fear public shame and exposure.
The male ego is purpose-driven. He is attracted to a clear vision which declares 'I know where I am going .. seek the kingdom of God.'
The male ego has leadership aspiration. Whatever/whoever can empower and engage the pride of a man will attract his commitment. "Follow me, I will make you to become fishers of men" "You shall receive power'. Every man wants to be a leader
The male ego thrives on affirmation. "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." "No longer do I call you servants. You are My friends. As the father has sent Me, so send I you."
The male ego demands faith. Men need something to believe in (personal conviction) Every man is adventure driven, a risk taker. Men need a cause to conquer.
The male ego is inspired by hope. Men need a sense of guaranteed success. (establish 'The acceptable year of the Lord'). If others have done it, he will go after it.
The male ego seeks love. He longs for someone to trust (a covenantal bond), and for someone to trust in him. More, men love to care and pride in the achievement of committed love.
The male ego longs for integrity. Men must be restored to their Source, ie their Father in order to rediscover themselves and become whole (integrated). That was the mission of Christ. He reconciled men back to God. "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me." Men want the real thing.
The male ego is fulfilled in its quest to achieve fatherhood. Men find pride in replicating themselves through their seed. Otherwise, they thrive on being mentors, somebody's hero.
In his way, they stamp their image on the next generation in order to leave their name behind. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become sons of God."
Bishop C.B. Peter Morgan may be reached at bishop.petermorgan@yahoo.comn Send feedback to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.
