Your mission, should you choose to accept it!
Major Phil Inglis believes his calling is to be a ‘man on a mission’ in The Salvation Army. On International Men’s Day, he invites others to join him on this mission.
BY MAJOR PHIL INGLIS
“Your Mission, should you choose to accept it ...” is how the secretary begins each assignment given to Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible franchise.
When people hear the word ‘mission,’ they often consider it quite masculine. I’m sure many think of tasks assigned to spies and soldiers, and while this is changing, these roles in pop culture are primarily male. Besides, the traits associated with people on missions are stereotypically masculine.
Almost all mission stories involve aggression, suspense, violence, explosions, vehicle chases and often beautiful women. Being on a mission and having a purpose and calling expressed in these masculine ways is key to understanding how our society views manhood.
The reality, however, is that to describe being a man in this way is far too narrow and ultimately fails to take into account the full breadth of the male human experience and expression.
A man may be aggressive, but he doesn’t have to be (and maybe he shouldn’t be). A man may be physically strong, but he doesn’t have to be. A man may be a great hunter, a great warrior, a great spy, or a great soldier ... but he doesn’t have to be.
Pop culture has done a great disservice to men everywhere by perpetuating the myth that these things somehow define a man.
In The Salvation Army, we also love to talk about mission. We also use a lot of stereotypically masculine symbols and language from the military to describe many aspects of our mission. We, too, can fall into the trap of thinking that these things are what define a man.
To better understand a man, perhaps we could look to better understand the mission of a man.
Perhaps we should stop and consider the fact that Australian embassies and similar offices around the world are known as missions. Australian missions exist to let people know how amazing Australia is, provide sanctuary and refuge for people fleeing to Australia, support Australians, and do whatever they can to pursue justice.
As a man on a mission in The Salvation Army, I believe this is my calling, and I invite others to join me this International Men’s Day.
First and foremost, we exist to care for people, promote the love-fuelled kingdom of God, provide sanctuary for those who need it, and humbly pursue justice wherever we find ourselves.
*Major Phil Inglis is the Operations Manager for the Mission Support Department
