This year’s theme of making a difference for men and boys has got me thinking; what is it about being male that looks so hard? Looking at it at its core, I believe that it’s all boils down to social conditioning, the labels we apply to what good looks like to be a man and to all the social and self-judgement that comes with it. If you look at the simple truth of it, when we are born, we have no concept of gender, race or any judgement about the differences we notice in each other. We just experience life and connection with other humans; all that other stuff is learnt.
I personally think that the expectation for men to be STRONG and keep your emotions hidden, the requirement to be THE MAN, or MAN-UP and even the British STIFF UPPERLIP, cause way more harm than good; if you think about it, what do any of them really mean…
As a man, a father (of daughters), an
uncle (of nephews and a niece), as a fellow human; I would like to see the following difference for men and boys…
I would like them to feel confident to be themselves, whether the feel supported or not. Confident to stand up for what is right, rather than follow the crowd. Confident to listen to others without judgement, respecting that there will always be differences of opinion, and still listen to understand. But, mostly to be confident that being male you are made exactly the same way as everyone else on our planet; you have the capacity to feel joy and pain, happiness and sorrow, but above all love and connection.
I would us them to look to what unites us with everyone else throughout time; that we are human beings.
It is in the simplest of ideas that we find the most peace.
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