Finding True Love in the Modern World
Is there hope for genuine connections with all the masks we wear, both masculinity and femininity?
Being a man means many things, and so does being a woman. Since time immemorial, men are expected to be strong. Strong at all times no matter what. They must never show weakness — woe unto them should they cry in public.
As a rite of passage into manhood, one community had boys hunt and kill a lion. That was centuries before the world’s lion population was on the brink of extinction. The Maasai tribe of Kenya would use this show of strength and courage to woo girls as the boys became men.
In the modern world, a man is not only expected to be strong; the identity of a ‘real man’ is almost not humanly achievable.
From a very young age, boys are taught to be tough. They must not show any signs of weakness, especially around girls. When young boys express sensitivities or vulnerabilities, they are often told to ‘man up’.
Should they express concerns about hardship or struggle with certain things or activities, they are simply told to tough it out.
Sometimes manning up may mean suppressing their suffering. They no longer talk about their difficulties, not necessarily because they dealt with them…
