The original meaning of “hack” as a verb (to cut with rough or heavy blows) goes right back to the primordial roots of manhood and survival. Let’s go all the way back to the first man – we will call him Adam – and as the story goes, he has just committed THE original sin and is now banished from the Garden of Eden. A far cry from the tranquility and abundance of the Garden of Eden, he is now at the mercy of nature and all its hostility and he now must use his God-given intellect to survive. What does he do? He uses his ingenuity and resourcefulness and he begins hacking at stone as he fashions his first tool, a rough blade. With this tool, he survives by hacking at more things – trees and wood to make shelter, tools, and fire, the flesh of animals for food and clothing, stems and stalks of vegetation, and wild beasts for protection. Thanks to hacking, man was able to perform his sacred duties of provision and protection from the very beginning.
Today, man can still find his inner call to hack. Thus we find the modern term, “lifehack,” which is defined as a useful and effective (but often inelegant) trick, shortcut, skill, or solution to a problem that is meant to assist productivity and efficiency. In today’s lifehacks, man draws upon the same God-given intellect, ingenuity, and resourcefulness that Adam first used to hack for his survival!
This Manly Lifehacks guide series, entitled “ManHacks” is a lighthearted look at some practical hacks for all men as we live out our masculinity day-to-day. They may be useful, they may be humorous, and they may verge on being disastrous, but they can all draw us into active contemplation of several things:
- We are all fallen human beings and we must labor and toil in this world
- We can effectively and morally develop the virtues of ingenuity and resourcefulness to serve those around us better
- We are accountable for the time we spend in this life. By performing our tasks more efficiently, we have more time to spend on our real priorities
- Let’s chuckle together on the ideas the masculine mind can come up with as we take our problem solving outside the box!
Enjoy and Happy ManHacking!
Quick Links:
Makeshift Bottle Bobber
Steak Doneness Guide
Lighting a Rapid Fire
Staple Welding Plastic
Quick and Clean Condiment Refill
Sharp Axe of Kindness
Top Uses for WD40
Do You have any ManHacks to Share?Have you ever had some ManHacking experiences? If so, please share them with us! Send them to us with a title, description, and picture and you may have your ManHack featured on CatholicGentlemansGuide.com! |
Disclaimer: Please take these tips with a grain of salt and exercise your manly virtues of prudence and discretion. Perform or recommend at your own risk. Catholic Gentleman’s Guide assumes no liability for any damage or loss that may arise as a result of your use (or failed use) of these ManHacks. We stress strongly the use of your own intellect and common sense. |
~ The Catholic Gentleman's Guide