I want to try something different today.
Rather than writing a new piece, I thought I’d share a spoken word poem I made years ago about the social norms, expectations, obligations, pressures, approvals, and unspoken rules that I felt came with being an American male.
I know I’m not alone in this.
Many men feel trapped by ideas we never agreed to but feel forced to embody.
Many men secretly feel lonely, angry, numb, scared, or ashamed, living lives they don’t want.
Many men quietly contribute to a silent epidemic of declining mental health outcomes.
I think we should be talking about this more often.
And I don’t have all the solutions for this topic. It’s gigantic, complex, and somewhat outside of my pay grade to solve. However, part of moving forward requires us to consider new stories and have open conversations.
That’s what I hoped this piece would do.
If it spoke to you, please share it with a friend.
And if you want more conversations like this, subscribe below.
Share this post