I am not sure we know. We associate love with softness, weakness, etc. "Be strong, toughen up." is the message men hear growing up. Imagine if they didn't. Imagine if men were encouraged to feel, to be open, to express themselves. Similarly, imagine if women weren't told the opposite messages. What if we could all just express our love, our feelings independent of our gender.
Our world used to be full of power-power that dominates. Real power is given, not taken and it is expansive. Change the word power for love in the sentence above and it makes even more sense. Love is given, not taken and it is expansive. The old power that was present in our organizations-government, wall street, and businesses is slowly falling away. It doesn't work, it isn't sustainable. We are ready for a new way to live, to be and to come together.
If we are going to create a better world, we need men to be more loving, more open and vulnerable. Real power comes from that openness, and confidence in what you are being. Authentic and caring men do all right in the world. They change countries, lead businesses
and people always want to be in their presence.
What would it take for the men around you to be more loving?
Tony Porter discusses the "man box" and how we can do things differently in the future.
I also love Joe Ehrman about this. Most men buy into the premise false masculinity. That your manliness is determined by your athletic ability, economic success, and sexual conquest.
Ehrmann says, there should be only two criteria for being a man. “Masculinity, first and foremost, ought to be defined in terms of relationships. It ought to be taught in terms of the capacity to love and to be loved.” For more about him, check out the book, Season of Life, by Jeffrey Marx.
