Montréal Men's Circle Group

Gents,

For our second book of the Men's Circle Book Club, we are going with another classic, Erich's Fromm's "Art of Loving", a short but powerful book that has stood the test of time since its initial release in 1956.

In our first book (King, Warrior, Magician, Lover) many of the guys expressed that the Lover Archetype is one that needs more development so this book could be a natural next step in exploring that further.

I know the title may sound a bit "airy-fairy" but don't judge a book by its cover! This is a deep philosophical look at love in all its forms by a great thinker,

Here's the description:

Most of us are unable to develop our capacities for love on the only level that really counts — a love that is compounded of maturity, self-knowledge, and courage. Learning to love, like other arts, demands practice and concentration. Even more than any other art, it demands genuine insight and understanding.

In this classic work, Fromm explores love in all its aspects - not only romantic love, steeped in false conceptions and lofty expectations, but also love of parents, children, brotherly love, erotic love, self-love, and the love of God.

For the first session, I ask that you read the Introduction and the first chapter ("Is Love an Art") so we're primed for the discussion.

The Book and Audible Link is below (You can find some low-quality PDF versions of it online as well but I encourage you to support the author if you can afford it):

https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Loving-Erich-Fromm/dp/0061129739

Here are some excerpts to give you an idea:

"Love isn't primarily a relationship to a specific person, it's an attitude and orientation of character which determines the relatedness of a person to the world as a whole, not toward one "object" of love.... if I've developed the capacity for love, I cannot help loving my brothers"

"If love is a capacity of the mature, productive character, it follows that the capacity to love in an individual living in any given culture depends on the influence this culture has on the character of the average person.... No objective observer of our Western life can doubt that love - brotherly love, motherly love, and erotic love - is a relatively rare phenomenon, and that its place is taken by a number of forms of pseudo-love which are in reality so many forms of the disintegration of love"

Join us for a friendly gathering of men (all ages welcome) where we’ll have an open discussion on anything and everything related to the experiences and challenges we as men face in the modern age.

------

A note on the fee: This meet-up is not meant to be for profit and any fee is to cover the venue costs, our online meetings (or meeting held in free spaces) will remain free.

I don't want anyone staying away because of financial constraints so if you're not in a position to contribute, don't worry, you're still more than welcome to join. We usually have enough people contributing to cover the costs and if not, I'm ok covering the remainder out of pocket.

-----

The topics of discussion will vary from meeting to meeting, covering a wide range that could include work and money, relationships and intimacy, parenthood and family, loss and grief, travel and relocation, fitness and health, etc. The format is flexible and while we usually suggest topics and vote on them, we may also leverage articles or excerpts from books in the area to guide the discussion.

Please note that this isn’t meant to be therapy or coaching.

We’ll provide a safe and confidential space and require the same from all our attendees. If you’re not the type to enjoy deeper discussion, this group is probably not the right one for you. The group will be kept on the smaller side to foster an intimate setting and allow everyone enough time to share.

This group is for men only. We understand women also face many of these challenges and we encourage you to join one of the many women’s-only meet-ups available in Montreal. This group will be held in English.

There is a small fee for in-person events to cover the space costs, online events will be free.

PLEASE NOTE: This group strives to create a safe and respectful space for open dialogue that aims to heal rather than exacerbate the divisions in society. While we agree that a lot of men are struggling in the modern world, we do not condone much of the unsavoury takes found in "the manosphere". However, we do extend a warm invite to men who may have been drawn to certain ideologies but are eager to transcend them. So if you're seeking to move beyond divisive perspectives and instead choose to focus on personal growth and positive transformation to become a well-rounded active member of society (including as a partner and father, if you choose), this group is for you!

Gents,

This is the second and final meeting on Erich's Fromm's "Art of Loving", you will have

The expectation is that you will have finished the book in time for this meeting, this is a short book (around 110 pages or 3.5 hours audiobook) so 5 weeks should give everyone enough time to finish it. You're more than welcome to join even if you weren't there for the first meeting, as long as you've read it.

Here's some excerpt from the book:

"Love isn't primarily a relationship to a specific person, it's an attitude and orientation of character which determines the relatedness of a person to the world as a whole, not toward one "object" of love.... if I've developed the capacity for love, I cannot help loving my brothers"

"If love is a capacity of the mature, productive character, it follows that the capacity to love in an individual living in any given culture depends on the influence this culture has on the character of the average person.... No objective observer of our Western life can doubt that love - brotherly love, motherly love, and erotic love - is a relatively rare phenomenon, and that its place is taken by a number of forms of pseudo-love which are in reality so many forms of the disintegration of love"

----- Here are the notes from the first meeting -----

In our first book (King, Warrior, Magician, Lover) many of the guys expressed that the Lover Archetype is one that needs more development so this book could be a natural next step in exploring that further.

I know the title may sound a bit "airy-fairy" but don't judge a book by its cover! This is a deep philosophical look at love in all its forms by a great thinker, here's the description:

Most of us are unable to develop our capacities for love on the only level that really counts — a love that is compounded of maturity, self-knowledge, and courage. Learning to love, like other arts, demands practice and concentration. Even more than any other art, it demands genuine insight and understanding.

In this classic work, Fromm explores love in all its aspects - not only romantic love, steeped in false conceptions and lofty expectations, but also love of parents, children, brotherly love, erotic love, self-love, and the love of God.

The Book and Audible Link is below (You can find some low-quality PDF versions of it online as well but I encourage you to support the author if you can afford it):

https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Loving-Erich-Fromm/dp/0061129739

Join us for a friendly gathering of men (all ages welcome) where we’ll have an open discussion on anything and everything related to the experiences and challenges we as men face in the modern age.

------

A note on the fee: This meet-up is not meant to be for profit and any fee is to cover the venue costs, our online meetings (or meeting held in free spaces) will remain free.

I don't want anyone staying away because of financial constraints so if you're not in a position to contribute, don't worry, you're still more than welcome to join. We usually have enough people contributing to cover the costs and if not, I'm ok covering the remainder out of pocket.

-----

The topics of discussion will vary from meeting to meeting, covering a wide range that could include work and money, relationships and intimacy, parenthood and family, loss and grief, travel and relocation, fitness and health, etc. The format is flexible and while we usually suggest topics and vote on them, we may also leverage articles or excerpts from books in the area to guide the discussion.

Please note that this isn’t meant to be therapy or coaching.

We’ll provide a safe and confidential space and require the same from all our attendees. If you’re not the type to enjoy deeper discussion, this group is probably not the right one for you. The group will be kept on the smaller side to foster an intimate setting and allow everyone enough time to share.

This group is for men only. We understand women also face many of these challenges and we encourage you to join one of the many women’s-only meet-ups available in Montreal. This group will be held in English.

There is a small fee for in-person events to cover the space costs, online events will be free.

PLEASE NOTE: This group strives to create a safe and respectful space for open dialogue that aims to heal rather than exacerbate the divisions in society. While we agree that a lot of men are struggling in the modern world, we do not condone much of the unsavoury takes found in "the manosphere". However, we do extend a warm invite to men who may have been drawn to certain ideologies but are eager to transcend them. So if you're seeking to move beyond divisive perspectives and instead choose to focus on personal growth and positive transformation to become a well-rounded active member of society (including as a partner and father, if you choose), this group is for you!