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“That Is Not Very Manly”
The other day, I picked up a ride from one of my coworkers, and during the drive, we ended up on the subject of “good” Netflix documentaries. I suggested one titled “I Just Killed My Dad”, which if you haven’t seen it-I could not recommend it enough.
It was heartbreaking yet intriguing and I cried at the end of it all. When I shared this with my coworkers, one of them said sarcastically “Wow, that's very manly”. At the time, the words flew right over my head, but when I got home, I had to pause for a minute.
Yes, I get it. Crying is seen as a weakness. You are at your most vulnerable when you cry and as a “man” you are raised not to. To wear a face of steel and “suck it up”.
But last I checked, crying doesn’t define your masculinity, it just makes you human. We all experience sadness as a human and crying is an expression of that feeling. It's an expression of empathy. A release of that sadness.
I cry and I am not ashamed to admit that.
Fault in our stars: I cried like a baby
Marley and me: ruined my childhood
The Notebook: where do I begin?
I feel that sharing emotions with others should be more “normal”. Talking to someone about how you feel makes a world of difference. No matter how “un-manly” it is.
