Liberating Men from Societal Pressures
You’ve grown into someone who would have protected you as a child.
We tend to identify success with work status. Many believe that what determines our success in life is how much money we make and the number of people who admire us. We often mistake prestige for self-worth and flattery for respect.
This idea has been particularly tough on men. Society demands that men be successful providers without considering the impact on their mental health and the stress it causes. More than anyone else, men feel the need to prove their worth. They are not allowed to fail. Everyone is constantly watching. They can’t show weakness or risk losing a part of their masculinity.
This is nonsense. In a world striving for equality, we can’t subject men to such harsh standards and leave them to their fate. It’s cruel and inhuman. The percentage of men who take their own lives each year is overwhelming. In a world that claims to care for everyone, men often seem to be excluded.
That’s terrible. I don’t want to live in a world where people need to prove themselves through money and power or by hiding their emotions. I don’t want to be part of a world where people feel alone and can’t express it. I refuse to see others suffer like that. I refuse to raise my son in such a society.
Work status means nothing. Money and power are unworthy. What is important is the beauty of your heart, the purity of your soul, your kindness, and how much love you hold. You were meant to live like the innocent child you once were before society doomed you to be “man” from your tender years.
“Don’t cry,” they told you early on. “Men don’t cry.” You were only a boy, but they destined you for “more.” “Don’t be a loser. You have to succeed. Live for the power that fame will bring. You need to be strong. You need to provide. You need to make a family and look after them. Don’t care for yourself. Men don’t need help.”
No one told you how important you are. No one showed you that the pattern of your veins resembles rivers. No one told you how beautiful and kind you are, or how intelligent your mind is to learn all those things about constellations and space.
No one looked at you with honesty to tell you that it doesn’t matter what you accomplish or achieve. I wish from my heart that you reach all your dreams, but do it for you. Everybody is watching, but no one sees. You have no one to impress, so put this burden they unfairly placed on you aside.
You are so brave to keep going in this damaged world. I have nothing but love and admiration for all of you who didn’t give up, who find the courage to wake up and fight those terrible battles again and again, and stand up for yourselves.
You’ve grown into someone who would have protected you as a child. And that is the most powerful move you made. No money or fame could ever top this.
If you’ve reached the end, thank you! Your support means a lot. Feel free to drop a comment and share your thoughts — let’s chit-chat about anything you wish! :)
