Fatherhood Manifesto

Florida, oil on canvas, 152 x 355 cm (60 x 132 in), 2003, by William Conger



Fatherhood is an act of self-determination. It is a stunning redefinition of what it means to be a man. It is a recasting of the biological, social, political and spiritual intersection for any man who finds himself in fatherhood.

Biological: At this intersection a man understands that not only can he be a participant in the conception of a child, but also, this child will leave him physically and emotionally vulnerable and sensitized.

Social: Spurned by the reponsibility for his child, a man might, for the first time, reflect on social norms (e.g. that men don't show affection with their children, or that men don't find joy in the mundane tasks of child-rearing)and consciously oppose them.

Political: Again, spurned by the responsibility for his child, a man might for the first time opposed war (as he is faced with the very real possibility that his own child will have to go to war).

Spiritual: Having a child is more than a merely material act. It is a spiritual adventure that begins at conception and will not cease again. Fatherhood reaffirms our rootedness in an ineffable beginning and end from which we come and towards which we go without, however, ever getting there.