Gymnos Aquatic Saints
A group for Christian Males who enjoy Skinny-dipping, Wild Swimming, and Naked Swimming
- created by JosiahWeber
Fellowship and bonding versus fun
Return to DiscussionsI'm partly writing to promote this group. If we keep some activity in this group, it stays higher on the list and then people will see it and consider joining. If there is no activity, people will assume the group died. So we don't have to fill the group with tons of nonsense but if occasionally, people made a comment just to let people know we haven't died, that would help this group.
There is a difference between bonding and fun. This is not an attempt to say that fun is bad. Bonding and fun CAN occur at the same time. However, a bunch of guys getting together, getting so stinking drunk that they can't even walk, and then doing stupid Jackass style stunts and laughing at each other may be fun but when you wake up the next day, have you really gotten to know each other. Have you really established a bond.
I have mixed feelings about the term "male bonding". On the one hand, it is true that men don't delve as deep into the emotional reverie as women do but on the other hand, many people think that male bonding has to avoid that emotional reverie like the plague. Would it really hurt our masculinity to admit that men have feelings too?
In my experience, the best way to get a topic going is not by writing paragraphs of ideas. Most guys won't read if they see a lot of words, because they don't care. It is better to create simple question, give your short answer and see if guys will respond.
I grew up in church setting an men most often shook hands. However my dad was a hugger. And many of the men and women in our church hugged each other. Even to this day there are many men in our church and in mu inner circle of friends that when we meet we hug. I guess I am a hugger too. But I agree, why is it okay for two women to meet and hug and not two men. We are so scared of offending or being seen as "gay" that we miss a lot of male closeness.
It seems to me that "bro hugs" are becoming more common and acceptable.