Stories & podcast · on
topic 569084
Stories from the men who facilitate and attend these circles, on topic 569084.
21 stories
The Day My Fear Nearly Killed Me
The fear of appearing weak is the most frightening thing for a man to experience in our culture. Women do not want to be in relationships with men whom they judge as weak. Men will bully other men whom they insecurely…
From Crisis to Possibility
For the last couple of years, I’ve subscribed to the Dhamma Wheel, a daily email with an excerpt of Buddhist scripture, a little reflection, and a suggested practice. I wouldn’t call myself a Buddhist. I’m more……
Ohtani Let Go of the Rope
Cathy handed me her phone and said, “Watch this.” It was a highlight (if you want to watch it start @ the 1:10 mark) from a recent Dodgers/Padres game, and Shohei Ohtani had just been hit by a pitch—up and in, the kind…
Some Thoughts on Men Who Cry
Over the past few years, I’ve been on a journey of self-compassion, especially when it comes to expressing my emotions—especially sadness through tears. What I’ve discovered is that my ability to be gentle with myself…
Your Manhood is Getting in the Way
A dinger of a story from Paris this week “Olympics pole vaulter’s manhood mishap costs him medal chance…” Normally I don’t bite on such clickbait titles, but there were so many other headlines on the same topic that I…
Exploring the Link Between Testosterone Levels and Masculinity
Back in the late 70s, I used to rush home from school to watch General Hospital on TV with my mom. This was long before the advent of DVRs or even VCRs, so if I wanted to see what happened next it in the adventures of…
Oblivious?
Last week in our Weekly email , I share the exchange I had with Joan Dyer about the development of a men focused employee resource group and whether or not we should call it You Matter. Marti, a MenLiving friend and…
Now is Not the Time to Lose Hope
Between the recent events in the Middle East, analyzing the political landscape in the United States, and along with a couple of personal issues that arose, I found myself battling with a feeling that I rarely…
A Good Cry
Last week, in two different virtual meetings, friends of mine got very emotional. One as he read a heart wrenching note from one of his friends. Another as he processed the pain and fatigue of a family in distress. Both…
What is good about masculinity?
I just finished Caitlin Moran’s new book, What About Men? Moran is a decorated British journalist, feminist and the author of previous books, How To Be A Woman, How To Build A Girl and More Than A Woman . Her notion for…
The Gentleman of the East – Five behaviours of a traditional Indian gentleman
Author: Aditya Ganjoo The development of civilisations across the world allowed humans to feel safer, and thus, focus on other aspects of life, apart from survival. Probably, that is where the gentleman developed. In…
“Masculinity, in many ways, is a performance.”
Yesterday, I was reading the transcript of a recent episode of the NPR podcast, Life Kit, with Frank Festa, entitled, “Defining masculinity on your own terms.” In the podcast, one of the guests says, “Masculinity, in…
Macho, Macho Man
A couple of days ago, my friend, Chris, and I were talking about the construction industry. I had recently learned that our friend, Paul Sullivan, Founder of Company of Dads, had been interviewed on the “Mothers in…
Performing or Living?
Last August, Pete Hamill, the New York City journalist, novelist, essayist and editor died. Over the years, I had read several of his newspaper pieces and had always intended on reading some of his longer works. News of…
What is a “regular” guy?
To start, this is a picture of my friend, Craig Dooley. He is a wonderful man. I texted him last night to let him know that I would be writing about him. I think he might be surprised by the huge pic. I met him through…
Vulnerability, Leadership, and Masculinity
In recent days, we have witnessed a high profile microcosm of the struggle in which our men’s group and we have been engaged for nearly a decade. The arena was no less than the National Football League, the most popular…
The Qualities of a Gentleman
I wanted to share a blog post I wrote over 9 years ago. The point was and is not political. The point was and is aspirational. On February 15th, President Obama honored 15 individuals at the annual Presidential Medal of…
Response to the Gillette Commercial
There’s a been quite a bit of on-line dialogue in the last 24 hours regarding the new Gillette commercial “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be” If you haven’t seen it, please take a look here. It’s been viewed over 5…
White Male Privilege & Toxic Masculinity
“White male privilege” and “toxic masculinity” seems to be brought up now more than ever. Many men I know take offense to these terms. I don’t because I believe it’s true now and has been true for a very long time. I…
Wanted: White Men…
…to step into the mature masculine. I define this as the capacity to be both strong and gentle, competitive and compassionate and the wisdom to know which energy to call on at any particular moment . Some men have…
Straight men showing PDA?
In this video, straight Dutch men are holding hands in public in response to the gay couple who were physically attacked for a public display of affection…. I find this powerful and moving, and I would love to see more…
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