23 of the Manliest Things People Have Ever Done
Is manliness the kind of machoism that involves chainsaw-wrestling atop lunar super volcanoes or t-rex jousting?
Or might it be something subtler, more intangible, like the quiet power that accompanies going commando through a TSA screening? The Redditors below delved deep into the question of manliness, sharing what they considered to be the greatest feats of manliness they ever accomplished, and the results may be surprising or unsurprising depending on your own conception of 'manliness."
1.
u/ManlyHorror2:
Saved my brother from drowning in the ocean in Alaskan winter. He collapsed in the water, and almost got hypothermia, I pulled him to shore, and he started seizing and groaning, I carried him to the nearest shower, and put him in warm water and slowly heated up the water over time. He later gained consciousness and thanked me. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins while I carried him, that was the scariest moment of my life.
Thankfully a nearby newly wedded groom and bride saw the event, and allowed us into their Airbnb.
2.
u/Captain_Comic: Saw a car crash happen right in front of us on the interstate. Guy pinned between the dash and the guardrail, was getting crushed. 5 or 6 of us lifted the car off of him and held it for five minutes or so until the fire rescue guys could secure it. Other guys would step in during the 5 minutes as guys got tired.
3.
u/Reed_Himself: I was peeing once and a fly flew into my stream and I peed it right into the terlet.
4.
u/Squints1234567: My son was born 10 weeks early. After a 2 month stay in the NICU, he came home and I was feeding him at 3 AM (anyone with a preemie knows what I’m talking about). Due to an unknown medical condition, my son puked up what was 2-3 days worth of milk. He began chocking and stopped breathing for 120 seconds. Only reason I know this timeframe is because I was able to perform 2 full sets of CPR and a third set of chest compressions. Brought him back before the EMTs arrived. In case you are wondering what that was like, hold a 5lb dumbbell in your hand and imagine doing CPR on it. We celebrate his 2nd birthday this March.
5.
u/nBrainwashed: My wife lost her phone. I tracked it down with the app. Walked into the convenience store it was in and asked the guy at the counter. He had no idea what I was talking about. I pinged it, and walked in the back room where the noise came from. I put my hand in the jacket pocket hanging on a hook. I held it up and said thanks for finding my phone and walked out. BTW my wife did not lose it in that store. She lost it about two miles away from there. So he found it and took it there. It was the find my iPhone app. For those asking
6.
u/punksmostlydead: I used to let my daughter paint my nails when she was a toddler. She liked using a different color for each nail. For reference, I was a factory ironworker at the time. To the credit of all the rough, tough guys I worked with, not a single one ever gave me sh-t about it.
7.
u/PattyG_: Saved a little girl from drowning after she was pulled out by a rip current. The lifeguards got mad and her parents never thanked me.
9.
u/Vaguely_vacant: I caught a line drive foul ball at Fenway with my bare hand. 99/100 times I’d probably screw it up but not this time. Replay on the Jumbotron. I got a big cheer from the crowd for a few seconds. Felt unreal. Over 20 years ago but still think about it every time I watch live sports.
10.
u/teabagalomaniac I graduated from college into the aftermath of the subprime mortgage crisis. I didn't have a good full time job for almost a year. I was back home living with my parents. I was feeling really down. I just felt completely hopeless. I stopped using any sort of social media, the mere sight of someone else making it out of the economic quagmire I was in inspired such jealousy in me. One day, my father paid my cousin to come over and cut down some trees in our backyard. We had four fully grown maple trees that were all blow down risks. My cousin was a professional arborist and they sectioned the trees into 2-3 foot chunks. My cousin and his crew left the wood, my dad wanted to split it so that we'd have firewood. I'd never split wood before, but somewhere in between filling out a handful of job applications, I decided to give it a try. It was the purest form of stress relief I'd ever experienced. Not only did it involve swinging a heavy tool at something with the aim of destroying that thing, but as the wood slowly piled up you started to actually get a sense of accomplishment. I stayed out in the yard splitting wood all day. That night when I went to bed, it was the first night in a long time that I hadn't been addled with stress and anxiety. My hands were blistered, but I slept like a baby. By the end of the second day, I'd split all the remaining wood. I've carried this lesson with me since then. There's always a healthy opportunity for dealing with anxiety, stress, or anger. Even if it's something as seemingly infantile as smashing things with a heavy stick. Today, my father has a cabin and he always has wood that needs splitting. If I'm going through something difficult he'll often offer "I've got plenty of wood up here that needs splitting, you should come spend a day or two here".
11.
u/ForestOfMirrors: Got struck by lightning then went to work. Also one of the dumbest things I have ever done.
13.
u/Carbon1te: I have gotten up and gone to work almost every day for over 30 years, to make sure my family has everything they need and most of what they want.
15.
u/Phebeosa: Chased down a large man who robbed two people at a football game. Took him down, took his back, and subdued him until police arrived. I then took off immediately because I didn’t want to have to do a police report.
16.
u/roy1562003: Road my Harley across town wearing a Dora the explorer back pack to deliver to my granddaughter
17.
u/IgnisCael: I'd say it was talking mine and my team's way out of a Cartel's dominated area without a scratch on any of us. Having weapons shoved up my face and still keeping any semblance of composure wasn't exactly easy. I admit that I almost cr***edmyself after the fact.
18.
u/SlipsLips: Manliest thing I have ever seen in my life was my mom. When I was 6 or 7(in the late 80s) a disturbed woman at a park grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground. Over her shoulder I saw my 5’4 mother clear a park bench like an Olympic athlete jumping a hurdle. She grabbed me from this woman, calmly set me on the ground, then turned to this woman and said “You need to leave now or I will kill you where you stand”. She left, I got ice cream. I had never seen my mother like that before or since. I couldn’t really appreciate it until I was older, especially now that I have my own kids.
19.
u/pushdose: Stuck my finger into an abdominal gunshot wound and rode on the stretcher from ER to the OR keeping pressure on the bleeding vessel so the dude didn’t bleed out. That was pretty f--king badass.
21.
u/Slovic: Hot summer day. Lowes parking lot, crowd of people surrounding a car. Someone left their baby in the car. It was clearly in distress. No one would do anything about it except stand there. My Dad and I walked up to the crowed of people. Quickly figured out what was going on and without a second thought. We grabbed the driver side door and bent it 70 degrees away from the frame while it was locked so we could unlock the door. No one wanted to break the glass out of fear of it getting onto the baby. Unlocked the door and peopled tended to the baby, we just walked away leaving the door completely f--ked.
23.
u/PeeJayx: Not so much my manliest act, more like the manliest I've ever felt: This was just last weekend. Wife and I have two small kids, so it's all hands on deck everyday but last Saturday was utterly slammed. At the end of the day, the wife and I collapse on the sofa and relax while watching TV. Eventually she falls asleep, about the same time the two kids are asleep too. I make sure all three of them are warm and comfortable, then tiptoe into the kitchen and treat myself to a beer and working on a personal hobby. Sitting at the dining table in the small hours of the night, I just felt...happy. I constantly worry I'm not a good enough husband or father, but in that moment, when all of them were cozy, safe and fed, I felt like I was doing a good job. I felt like a good husband, a good father...and a good man.
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