It is the masculine hard-headed idea that if you throw your wits (or strength) against it, you can do it. Importantly, if you can't do it, you have failed because there was somebody who could have. Okay, now there are glaring issues with living like this but such is the case for any set of ideals one uses to exist.
The thing is, though, truly living this way ensures that you cannot look back on an it and regret that you did not do enough. This is an achingly attractive thing to do and, dangerously, the attitude justifies itself. When those near you raise an eyebrow at what this pursuit is doing to you, it shouts back that they could not understand this effort, devotion, care, etc. Even when you question yourself, you can assure yourself that you are the type of person who sees things through, who tries
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