They say that it’s manly to be aggressive,

To own a weapon, to smoke,

To drink, do drugs,

To have many women “on the side,”

To excel in sports instead of academics or art,

To act rather than think,

To revere the womanizer- strive to be him,

To have a hot body instead of a beautiful mind,

To dominate instead of cooperate,

To stand above others instead of with them,

To direct rather than teach,

To discipline instead of nurture,

To be number one instead of one among many,

To use one’s hands and dick instead of one’s mind and soul,

To destroy one’s enemy instead of work with them,

To use violence as a means to an end,

To put pride before humility,

To never concede even if one is wrong

And to withhold all emotion instead of sharing the burden with others.

I disagree.

Masculinity has nothing to do with dominance,

Aggression, violence,

Getting laid, being attractive,

Being athletic, a “father” figure,

Winning and being number one.

Being a man is all about being respectful,

Being understanding of other’s needs,

Of one’s self- the good and the bad,

Working with others, learning from them,

Being able to stand in the face of adversity,

Overcome it,

Strengthening one’s mind instead of one’s body,

Learning as well as leading,

Thinking before acting,

Nurturing and inspiring,

Seeking reconciliation rather than capitulation,

Trusting others with our burdens,

Standing for what one believes in

And choosing to actively seek one’s destiny.

So really…

Being a man is the same as being human.