50 Things a Man Should Be Able to Do

7/28/2019 50 Things a Man Should Be Able to Do

1/3

50 Things a Man Should Be Able To Do

Friday, July 23, 2010, 8:00 AM

Joe Carter| @joecarter

[Note: Every Friday on First Thoughts we host a discussion about some aspect of pop culture.

Todays theme is "Renaissance Man" lists. Have a suggestion for a topic? Send them to me [email protected].]

Every man does notneed to know how to tie a bow tie. Lets get that clear up front. I dont knowwhy it is on every Things a Man Should Know How to Do list but its simply not true. If you

have a reason to wear a bow tie (e.g., youre going to prom, your name is George Will) then you

can ask someone or you can look it up. Thats why Google and preppie college Republicans exis t.

But there are some things that every man should be able to do. Here are fifty. Not necessarily the

fifty most important (though some are), just fifty things a man should be able to do if he wants tolive a good life.

1. Forgive your parentsThey did the best they could . . . or they didnt. Either way, youre aman now so its time to move on.

2. Ask your parents to forgive youYou know what you did. They do too.

3. Change a diaper so that the baby is cleaner and you are no dirtier than when you started.

4. Perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.

5. Use a soldering iron to fix a loose connection.

6. Comfort a childIf you want to judge the character of a man, observe how he treats a child.He may not have any himselfhe may not even like kidsbut if he can provide them comfort

when they are scared or hurting then he cant be all bad.

7. Cook one signature dish.

8. Calculate square footageWidth x length.

9. Innocently flirt with a woman at least twice your ageWithout causing offense or being

disrespectful, of course.

10. Write three coherent, connected, and grammatically correct paragraphsIf its reallynecessary, you should be able to repeat the process well enough to add three more. Unless you

have a job that requires extensive writing, thats probablyall youll ever need to get by.

11. Navigate your way around an unfamiliar city without getting completely and utterly lost.
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2010/07/23/50-things-a-man-should-be-able-to-do/http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2010/07/23/50-things-a-man-should-be-able-to-do/http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/author/admin/http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/author/admin/http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/author/admin/http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/author/admin/http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2010/07/23/50-things-a-man-should-be-able-to-do/


2/3

12. Differentiate between various types of mortgages and insurances and know which one is best

for your situation.

13. Get a prostate exam without crying.

14. Know what a prostate is.

15. Make and follow a budget so that you can get out ofand stay out ofdebt.

16. Tell a spellbinding (though not necessarily true) story.

17. Survive in water for at least a few minutes without drowning71 percent of the earths

surface is covered by water. Youre bound to fall into it sometime.

18. Know the four lifesaving stepsstop the bleeding, start the breathing, protect the wound,

treat for shock.

19. Give a great complimentTip: Be specific, be sincere.

20. Tell a joke that is (a) clean, and (b) funny.

21. Make a brief, informative speech in public without having an anxiety attack and/or using

PowerPoint.

22. Type with more than two fingers.

23. Know how to use the mass transit system in any city within 100 miles of his home.

24. Use reference materials to find out any information that youll ever need to know.

25. Recite the Ten Commandments from memoryIf you remember them, its easier to followthem; if you follow them youll avoid about 90 percent of the self-inflicted damage that will

screw up your life.

26. Carry on a conversation with someone who bores you to tears.

27. Recognize when you are boring someone to tears with your inane banter.

28. Make a plan for the first 24 hours after a zombie apocalypseSounds silly but youd besurprised how much you can learn about yourself by thinking through unlikely scenarios.

29.Perfectly cook scrambled eggs.

30. Push-start a car with a manual transmissionBy the way, as I learned in the summer of 1988,

you cant push start a car with an automatic transmission. (I still dont know why I was stomping

on the brake as if it were a clutch.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_B3QNu_Ks&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_B3QNu_Ks&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_B3QNu_Ks&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_B3QNu_Ks&feature=player_embedded


3/3

31. Tell the difference between snark and wit.

32. Properly maintain your basic form of transportation, whether it be a car, bike, horse, feet, etc.

33. Grow foodeven if you never owned a vegetable garden, you need to understand the basic

theory of how to grow food. When the zombie apocalypse happens, youre going to be hungry.

34. Make it through the rest of your life without saying the thirty-seventh dumbest sentence inthe English language: I have to learn for myself.

35. Endure an insult with grace.

36. Wash a load of white clothes without turning everything pink.

37. Load, shoot, and clean a firearm.

38. Admit being wrong in a situation that will cost you dearly.

39. Physically protect your loved ones and be willing to risk life and limb if necessary to keepthem safe.

40. Lead your family in prayer.

41. Cogently explain and defend your most fundamental beliefs, preferably without raising yourvoice.

42.Hug another man.

43. Take harsh criticism without being defensive.

44. Differentiate between love and lustand avoid the latter.

45. Recognize wisdom and know how to get it.

46. Help someone who is vomiting (without throwing up yourself).

47. Write a letter of recommendation.

48. Write a love letter.

49. Avoid the Three As That Ruin Your Life: Anger, Adultery, Apathy.

50. Be able to list at least 50 more things a man should be able to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUdWApwbudQ&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUdWApwbudQ&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUdWApwbudQ&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUdWApwbudQ&feature=player_embedded

Documents

50 Things a Man Should Be Able to Do