The Barbarian in You | Book Review

“Remember," she said, "you have options." (p. xv)

Ed Hinman's refreshing, and at times irreverent work is an in your face reminder that our primal natures matter, and that we have agency throughout our lives. His book is reminiscent of the instinctive dimension of our Energize2Lead® (E2L) Profile. Recall from our E2L, instinctive needs are equivalent to motivational needs, represent our learning style and describe our survival instincts. Hinman likewise persuades us that we should embrace our inner barbarian by living with Vigor, Wonder and Fellowship. This review captures examples of each of the three further emphasizing the value of relying on our instincts and agency.

Vigor

Hinman reminds us we may create a personal identity, exemplified by David Lee Roth: "Dave understood that in order to make his dream come true [of rock stardom], he would need someone extraordinarily talented on his team." (p. 19) It's easy to think Eddie Van Halen, the guitarist, made the band lift off but he didn't. "David was the true leader ... He had a vision for Van Halen, and for himself, and he made that vision a reality." (p. 25)

Hinman found vigor in transformative weight lifting. Right then, lifting weights became religion. Nothing else mattered. I had my thing, and that thing gave me purpose, direction, identity and power (p. 38). Doing this may require courage. Swerving off this predictable road and doing what we're drawn to is the harder choice -- one that requires extreme vigor to succeed (p. 51). Hinman channels Camus: The endorphins released from physical effort, the dopamine spike from accomplishing goals, the serotonin boost from the resulting self-esteem -- when we do hard things, we feel good about ourselves. Action = Happiness (p. 66).

Back to weightlifting. My biggest regrets in life are the times when I didn't do what Arnold [Schwarzenegger] did. The times I let stuff happen to me instead of making stuff happen for me (p. 69). We have agency.

Wonder

Hinman fuels his sense of wonder by reading history. George Patton claimed to have lived many previous lives -- all as a warrior. According to his friends and family, he had flashbacks throughout his life about events that occurred centuries before (pp. 89-90). Think of the right side of our brain, or our dominant yellow and blue E2L colors. Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker suggests we are not born a blank slate. Instead, we are born with a slate already stamped by a unique and complex amalgamation of our ancestors' genes, traits, desires, and behaviors (p. 91).

Anyone with children knows they are naturally intuitive. Many of our social structures chip away at our youthful sense of wonder though. Hinman recalls Ray Bradbury: "By the time many people are fourteen or fifteen," he writes, "they have been divested of their loves, their ancient and intuitive tastes, one by one, until when they reach maturity there is no fun left, no zest, no gusto, no flavor. Others have criticized them, and they have criticized themselves into embarrassment." (p. 114)

Hinman shares: The center point of my sensations, the barbarian in me, is often awakened by the wonders I feel from music, films, books, poems and paintings. These feelings of wonder, in turn, stir my creative energy and elevate my mood (pp. 123-124). He sharply contrasts his source of gratitude. Death reminds us that life is precious and short. Death reminds us to hug our spouse, smell the roses, taste the wine, write the story, and travel the globe (p. 128).

Fellowship

Perhaps Hinman's most primal of the three is fellowship, historically found in warfare. Beyond the ultra-violence, the shield wall remains the ultimate symbol of fellowship. A shield wall only worked if every interlocking man stood their ground and didn't flee (p. 149).

Hinman repeatedly finds the modern barbarian in rock bands. Elliott and his bandmates saw Def Leppard as a fellowship. It didn't feel right to replace Rick without at least giving him a chance to make a comeback -- even delaying the album meant losing millions of dollars. So, they stuck with their friend and clung to the faint hope that Rick might figure out how to drum with one arm and two legs (p. 160).

Consider enduring military service appeal. For eons, the role of young men has been to keep the wolf away. Men have evolved biologically to seek danger, embrace violence, crave brotherhood, and yes, do some boastful, stupid shit (p. 176). Extending past the physical by channeling Rosseau, Hinman reminds us rather than celebrating a life of the mind, Romanticism encouraged a life of feeling and wonder. Logic, skepticism, and experimentation were out; imagination, beauty, and mystery were in (p. 183).

Summary

In a time when we are bombarded with external stimuli, Hinman's asks us to look inside. Wonderful. 

"When it came to answering existential questions,
I began to branch out beyond my five senses and logic." (p. 203) 

Ed Hinman generously provided a copy of his book for review.