The New Age of Men

As women continue to seek fair treatment in social and economic realms, its been little noticed that we have entered a New Age of Men. Men in substantial numbers are still the jackasses and uber-machos they always were. TV still throws at us the stereotypical good-looker hunk, capable at all things, tough but empathetic, smart and violent only when he needs to be. And, of course, the dumb, bumbling dad of most sitcoms.

But men of the new age are aware of the importance of dress, know how to select just the right hairdo or beard style. They want just the right body, even if it requires pectoral and calf implants. They wear the most technologically sophisticated deodorant and are self-confident enough to use their cellphones on a dinner date. 

They are getting used to taking orders from women—and not just their wives.
And strikingly, they buy more glitter than men of the past. They discover themselves in the gaze of others.

Depression

Depression is a skilled assassin.
In its dark rooms, it poisons sleep and love and self-esteem and joy in life.
And you soon believe that its final victim will be you.

But sunlight is the enemy of depression and so is active being, the right medication, a good friend and a persistent faith in something.

Scream

You are overwhelmed these days by anxiety and anger over the state of the world. You decide a little scream therapy is in order. You go outside and start screaming at the top of your lungs.

How long do you continue to scream before you feel better?

Do any of your neighbors come out and scream with you?

Does anyone who can make things better hear you scream?

I don’t have an answer for you or for myself. But just wanting to scream reminds me I must resist being too numbed by mindless TV, video games, too much craft beer and too much sports. I must remember that the suffering world requires some of my attention too.

Dichotomies

What’s scarier: a pussy grabbing President or a transgender person in the bathroom with you?
Which has higher priority: finding a missing blonde teenager or a kidnapped black child?
Whose voice is more meaningful to hear: a distinguished physicist or the quarterback who threw the game-winning touchdown?
What gets the most attention: world news or entertainment news?
What has more impact: cuddling with a child or buying the child genius toys?
What is more tragic: a white police officer who kills a black man or a black teenager who kills a young black girl?
What should concern us most: world deforestation or coal mining in Appalachia.

These may seem false dichotomies. But ask the media then ask yourselves.

Good ol' boys

So Donald Trump considers Bill O'Reilly "a good man." I guess it's important for pussy grabbers to stick together. And Trump believes that O'Reilly should never have settled. Which is, of course, what Trump himself did in the Trump University lawsuit.

Just when we need men of character as our role  models we get more of the good ol' boys club. "Boys will be boys" really means men can act irresponsibly like boys and expect to get away with it. This is a time when we need men to act like men, to carry integrity and responsibility as their armor and to speak out against transgressions of boy-men.

Human life

Human life creates its own problems and then tries to solve them.
It thinks it’s one thing when it’s really 7 billion things.
It tries to get along but doesn’t learn from its own failures.
It revels in its own creation, but turns its back on all the rest.
It creates value systems only to ignore them.
It listens to the easy words and ignores the hard ones.
It aspires to greatness with its dirty hands.
It produces bits of brilliance but is happy to be bored.
It’s an absurd thing just wanting to be loved.

Launch

In the first few years of life, you get fueled up by how you are touched, held, spoken to, and otherwise exposed by those around you to the sensory world. At launch this fuel is all but burned away as you are sent into life orbit. Then, if you are lucky, you set the course and navigate to a safe landing, ready to explore.

Sadly, for some the fuel is toxic, the launch goes wrong and they are in an orbit little hope.