This is a the crippling condition of manhood that is still hanging in the air unchallenged in our society greatly accepted as law. It is ingrained in the psyche of too many men that they are not supposed to express their emotional pains or joy with the outward display of tears. Unfortunately this is an unwritten law and it's cutting the lifespan of our men short who feel the stresses of everyday life just like our women but in their mind must hold it in like a pressure cooker usually with disastrous results. Nervous breakdowns, high blood pressure, dysfunctional relationships, mental illness, depression and an extreme stress are but a few of the results that are spawned from submitting to the credo that one must refrain from expressing ones feelings to their peers when the emotions run high in stressful times. How did we as men come to embrace such a toxic mentality in the first place? Why do we feel as though we are less than a man when we cry out to release what we feel inside? Who told us that real men don't cry and how is it reinforced in our society? How can we move beyond this very limiting state of being to focus our energies on becoming more healthy in our ability to communicate our needs to others who care without the implied status of being considered a failure when we do? Our upbringing, media macho reinforcement and the unhealthy expectations of a twisted society who expect us to be superman all have a stake in why we as men have become trapped behind the stifling armor of what true manhood is as we cry out from within. Tonight we want the support of our women and we need the men to come and speak out on this uncomfortable position that has been unfairly placed on us at a time in history when so much is expected of us when we need it the most.

• published: 17 Aug 2013
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