The United States International
Men's Day Team joins institutions, organizations, and individuals throughout
our global village in observing World Suicide Prevention Day -- today --
10 September 2018. We are losing far too many Men and Boys to suicide.
Are we missing the
signs that something terribly wrong is going on with the Men and Boys in our
lives? Men and Boys are socialized not to
complain . . . not to express the natural and spontaneous
reaction to pain — be it physical, spiritual, emotional, or psychological. We
cannot expect the Men and Boys in our lives to come running to us and unburden
themselves with the spiritual, emotional, or psychological distress that
plagues their souls. They will not come to us and say: “I need help. Help
me, I’m drowning.” They are socialized to be strong and being strong and
being a man means you do not ask for help. They have been socialized to believe
that asking for help is a sign of weakness — that it is “unmanly.” But more
importantly, if the Men and Boys in our lives do come to us seeking help, will
we be able — willing — to help? Will we know what to do . . .
what to say? Will we hit the “pause” button, “step out of ourselves,” and
embrace their souls?
We should be engaging
the Men and Boys in our lives in conversations — real conversations — every
day. We should be asking questions. Questions like “What happened today?
Did you have a good day? Did you have a bad day? How do you feel? Are you
feeling overwhelmed? Are you depressed? What is going on in your life that is
making you feel overwhelmed or depressed or misunderstood? What do you need and
want me to do to help you get through this difficult time?”
We should not accept
"Everything's okay" as an answer.
We need to step out of
ourselves and embrace the souls of others -- the souls of the Men and Boys in
our lives. We step out of ourselves and embrace the souls of others by
asking the questions I have suggested.
By stepping out of
ourselves and embracing the souls of others -- the souls of the Men and Boys in
our lives -- we are providing them with a life line.
Stepping out of
ourselves and embracing the souls of others is very easy. Just ask
yourself: "What would I want?"
1 comment:
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