MAN UP!

That is it, I am done! We can't keep on, keeping quiet like as if we are not noticing that you are hurting on the inside. Why are you looking puzzled or confused? Is that not the truth? You are expected to brave it, keeping it together, showing no emotion, showing no sign of weakness. 

Is that where society has reached with us that we are mindless fools who only conform to its rules. That we cannot think on our own but have to follow society’s expectations of us. That my friend is the kind of slavery that I cannot conform to nor will I stand for. 

I want all the men to know that, it is okay not to be okay & you do not have to apologize for it. This world is continuously bashing men for not doing this & not feeling that. Has anyone taking a moment, breathed in, breathed our, taken a step back & think, that what is been done is breaking the men. 

I got to watch a clip on a social media platform where a woman asked, for men to be honest who do they call when they are at their lowest, who is that one person. The answers given by the men were “nobody I am a man, no one cares”, “not a single soul, nobody”, “no one, cause am all alone”, “I don’t call anyone”, “no one, I am a man”, “no one, not a single person”, “I wouldn’t call anyone, I would not turn to a single person on this earth because they don’t care, they will just find a way to use it against me”. 

Have we sunk this low that men can’t talk to anyone of the fiery abyss within? Where did the trust go, where did the shoulder to lean on go, where did, “I got you” go, where is “you can always count on me” go? Was this all just a joke or a façade to just falsely hype up ones feelings, only to crush it underfoot like a pesky pest/insect. 

How the mighty have fallen all like a tree trunk because they had no one to be there for them. The sad reality is that even our fellow men put us down stating that we should be strong & everything will be okay. How now? A man should not show emotion, a man should not be vulnerable, a man should be like Rambo. 

There are moments one is battling with demons of mammoth proportions & is unable to even explain what is happening to them. You try to say it & all context is thrown out the window. It is said, always try & say a kind word to whomever you meet along your path, you never know what someone is going through. 

I am lost in thought, wondering why it came to such a drastic end. No one listens, cares or even looks our way all because everything has crumbled. It is okay not to be okay. Did you take a moment to check on your friend & see how they are doing or it is every man for himself, God for us all. 

Shame on you, if you have ever failed to be there for someone whom you told that no matter, they can count on you. The betrayal, the pain that weighs down, no words can explain it. Why do we treat each other like as if we are enemies behind closed doors but when in the open world with others, we are like friends for life.

Did you know that the problem that we men have is that we want to fix everything in the world except ourselves. This is because we have been taught that everything in the world is more important than us. I don’t think we understand how little validation men get. 

Women will get compliments for just being women, you will get validation for being a certain gender. Men will get hated on for being men. Understand that men will get their first flowers at their funerals, very few compliments in the course of the year & get almost no validation in their relationships, it is usually about their women. 

Women will be flooded with attention, complements, positivity from a young age. That is an amazing and beautiful thing but you have to understand that men don’t get that. That is why, when you just compliment a man, it lights him up. Men really go through a lot of stuff, they are expected to provide, support, protect, take care of themselves, with no reassurance from the world whatsoever. 

Anyway, that is just how it is, aluta continua! My friend this is the reality in the world that over decades has remained constant & never changing. We need to be better than this & change how we look at things. It is not a must but as I said, you never know what you say or do for someone who you expect nothing in return from, how it will impact them. 

Let this be your food for thought as we progress on with this promising year. Share a hug, an encouraging word, be a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, compliment someone, don’t down play how someone is feeling & so on. I would like you to take this moment to just say this prayer: 

"Lord Jesus, I come before you as your child. Abba Father, I am a sinner fallen short of your glory. I come before you Lord, seeking your guidance, love, wisdom & understanding.  Let me be a better person, who soaks in your word in all that I do. I have judged others, I have put others down, I have disregarded those in need, I have failed as a friend. Lord I seek your mercy. I do pray that you will watch over those in need, protect them, bless them, that your love shall wash over them & make me a better person. I do pray that you shall use me as vessel of your love, Jehovah Jireh, may your will be done in my life & others whom I know & don’t know. In Jesus holy name, Amen!!!