Welcome to Mens Arete, a community for men focused on excellence in living. As this is our first post, it’s a great way to introduce myself and outline why I decided to start and create a group that I hope you will be thrilled to join.
I’ve always had this feeling that there is more that I should be doing. A potential that I should be living up to. In the past I have described this as a duty to help and support others, and to be a great person.
After my world trip and outdoor adventures, I returned to Brisbane and had a drive to join and be part of a community. I found some of this through a meetup group where members gathered to talk and discuss ancient philosophy. I was hooked. I volunteered, dived in, started facilitating sessions and doing what I could to contribute. This was in addition to starting a family, growing my professional career, getting back into the gym, and focusing on ways to improve myself.
I also wanted to connect more with other men to build connections and level up. I went to a few men’s groups but nothing resonated with me, whether it be the location, time, or the format. I can’t be the only one, I thought. So after a fair bit of thought and procrastination, I decided to start my own community, Mens Arete. Here, we will focus on what is important to an excellent life: connecting with other men to bond, discuss challenges, hold ourselves accountable, and come up with actionable steps to move us forward.
We will examine the life we want, how our character aligns, and come up with standards in our chosen pillars of life. We will help ourselves and others move forward.
The art of living is more than career advice or strategies, or getting bulked up at the gym. It is about forging our character into excellence, becoming a man of value who can lead our families and communities, laughing and enjoying life along the way.
How did I come up with the name? I have become fascinated with Ancient Greece. This is influenced by my own studies of Stoicism and the ancient thinkers. There are some great words that we have lost. Eudamonia. Telos. Arete. To me arete signified one of the aspects I was working towards. An excellence in life. Fulfilling and living up to my function and purpose as a rational being.
Welcome. I’m thrilled you are here, and I hope you decide to join us on this journey. To take the next step towards excellence, sign up to our newsletter. If you would like to be part of a group discussion, please also get in touch.
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