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Sexism, Social Issues 426 Comments on What Does it Mean to Be a Man?

What Does it Mean to Be a Man?

By Michael Brown · On October 12, 2018 ·Photography by Michael Brown

I sat on the train ride through the snowy mountains of eastern Switzerland, deeply occupied in my observation of all the curves that the snowfall had left, and how the trees stood so tall even with so much snow on top of them, when I suddenly felt a jarring and a cringing pain in my stomach area. Indigestion you may ask? Thankfully no; plus, rest assured, this piece is not a self-confessed-dear-diary-digestive-issue entry.

The sting occurred straight after I could not help but hear something from another fellow passenger. The conversation was a general small-talk chat between what I am guessing were 3 friends or work colleagues that blended into the background, however one sentence from one of the 30-something year old men stuck out like the sorest of thumbs:

“I will never cheat my goal of sleeping with a spouse.”

By way of a prelude: I’m 21 years old and I have experienced night club outings, getting drunk and the many twisted thoughts and activities that generally go with those environments and substances, so I have a pretty good understanding for how someone would find themselves in a position where they are just about to, or just have, slept with someone’s spouse. We know it happens, we have either seen cases, have heard of or have experienced scenarios where this sort of thing happens and deep down know that it should have not occurred.

The reason this statement jarred me so much was the calculated nature of it. The fact that this particular young man was not alluding to a possibility of a just one-night regret: no, by his own confirmation he has made sleeping with someone’s wife his life aim. Equally disturbing was that his female companion laughed out loud as if it were the sweetest and most amusing thing she had heard. This was an icing on the already spoilt cake.

I am a man. Like most men, I have grown into one from a boy, and I remember clearly being a boy with all my little friends too. Our life’s grandest ambitions were to be firemen or policemen or train conductors. We played together, both girls and boys, and we played very tenderly. I/we were not unique – visit any nursery around the world and you’d generally experience the same sight – little sweet, tender, caring, light and deeply loving angels.

So the question that was flashing in my head like a large neon billboard on this train ride was: what has happened to us – what do we experience in life that we go from being a sweet delicate boy with a heart of gold, to someone who makes their life goal to sexually objectify a woman as conquerable land AND potentially rip apart a marriage?

You may say, well if a woman wants to cheat on her husband then it’s obviously not working out so let that be the end of it, and to that my response would be, just because a country is having difficulties internally does not mean it deserves to have a nuclear bomb dropped on it.

Back to the point here though, and that is, what is it about the way we are raised as boys to young men that we end up with this type of mission as an end result? Somewhere on that ‘raising boy to a man’ trajectory something went horribly wrong and a serious derailment must have occurred.

Could it be that as young men we put women down or objectify them so that we can be one step ahead of any potential rejection?

I have experienced rejections during my 22 years here on Earth, all the way from a stranger ignoring a “hello,” to being held at arm’s distance by a crush, and in every instance there was a feeling in my body that is undeniably uncomfortable. In reaction and retaliation, I have done various things to ensure that I would not feel that throb again.

The conclusion I came to after talking with different people about the subject is that the feeling does not necessarily come from the rejection itself, but because there has to be something else at play that precedes the rejection torment. What is it?

From young we are shown what it means to be a man in many different shapes and colours: Strong and Provider, Romantic and Charming, Tough and Powerful, Great Lover and Money Maker etc. etc.

Even to pick just one of these imposed ‘requirements’ and expectations is difficult enough to live up to the idealised images fed back to us through parenting, media and advertising, but to play up to all of those is near impossible.

This need to be in a relationship has been with me for a while, and if I am to exercise honesty, there are still remnants of it today. As I walked home from work one evening I came to a revelation: I realised that I had spent so much time and energy searching for someone to be in a relationship with so that I could give them everything I have – someone to care for, look after, spend money on, treat like the last drop of water on a desert island, and more, all in order to distract myself from the fact that I was not treating myself with the same care and love I deserve. The realisation left me with a clear plan to move forward with: I am to treat myself with the level of care and regard that I have been far too quick to offer to others.

Since then, I have had the amazing opportunity to actually look at my qualities as a man; the fact that I am tender, delicate, loving, super patient, wise, a great cook, a lover of cleaning, ironing, and on the whole someone who brings a different perspective on situations, all with great ease too. From seeing these qualities in myself I began to notice more and more of the same in others, when being with close friends and family, or even just meeting a stranger in transit or at work.

And so I write these loving words to every man:

We no longer have to perform to the impossible standards we as a society have set.

We no longer need to prove that we are worthy of something through doing and achieving, instead we put focus on absolutely exquisite qualities we innately hold.

We no longer have to look at life through the lens of another person’s views and opinions.

We no longer have to be tough to feel strong.

We no longer have to tailor ourselves to attract women, for the woman that falls in love with our natural tender ways is the one that will be a friend for life.

We can show the world that there is space to be outside the confines of its playing ground.

We can be the Man that reflects tremendous power through fragility.

I have been discovering that living from these premises does not come with any pictures. It is not, and in fact cannot, be perfect. We are all here to learn and it is a process I am thoroughly enjoying going through.

The awareness and consideration I have given to this topic has sadly not been taught to me by the education system or any other facet of society. My development in this regard has been encouraged and supported by a very dear friend of mine, Serge Benhayon. His presentations and workshops run by Universal Medicine have provided me with a steady platform to look at these deviant societal constructs, and not only to look at them, but to allow myself to feel the level of corruption we have allowed and rather than entertaining any judgement or frustration, observe the reality of the predicament with a much deeper understanding and compassion and live in a way that I may be the reflection that says: “There IS another way, a truer way to be a man in the world today.”

Upper body shot of 2 men standing side by side with arms around each other smiling

Serge Benhayon (left) & Michael Brown (right)

By Michael Brown, Maths Student and Manager in Retail, UK

Further Reading:
True Role Models – From ‘Being a Good Man’ to Taking True Responsibility for My Choices
Bringing up boys to become glorious men
The lifestyle bubble and curse upon men

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Michael Brown

With love of people at the core of his raison d’etre, and all things numerical, scientific and humourous (or was it houmous ?), maths student with distinctions, a retail manager, community volunteer, piano player, delicate, dashing, and all in all, downright debonair.

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426 Comments

  • Maggie says: March 29, 2020 at 10:27 pm

    Dearest Michael, what a lovely, tender man you are. ❤️

    I particularly love these words, as they are equally applicable to women too:

    “This need to be in a relationship has been with me for a while, and if I am to exercise honesty, there are still remnants of it today. As I walked home from work one evening I came to a revelation: I realised that I had spent so much time and energy searching for someone to be in a relationship with so that I could give them everything I have – someone to care for, look after, spend money on, treat like the last drop of water on a desert island, and more, all in order to distract myself from the fact that I was not treating myself with the same care and love I deserve. The realisation left me with a clear plan to move forward with: I am to treat myself with the level of care and regard that I have been far too quick to offer to others.”

    Reply
  • Sandra Henden says: March 28, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    Thank you for sharing your innermost essence with us Michael, in this beautifully written article. I really get the sense of what a tender, sensitive man looks and feels like. Bring on your reflection!

    Reply
  • Mary says: February 24, 2020 at 1:44 pm

    I had supper with men recently and it was obvious to me that their behavior is not them they are a product of the society we have made for ourselves. We were staying in an international hotel where there are it seems a lot of prostitutes. And of course men are more aware of them then me or my female colleague. Men and women play games with each other and to me it is very ugly the way we behave we have reduced ourselves down to nothing more than a meat market a commodity. I feel that when we live in separation to God then we are totally lost and our behaviour is base. When we are in connection to God then we hold ourselves as precious beings and there would be no way we could reduce ourselves to base behaviour. This shows me that we are in disconnection to God and until we return back to him/her then how we beave towards each other is not going to change if anything it will get worse.

    Reply
    • Sandra Henden says: March 28, 2020 at 7:14 pm

      Hi Mary, I’ve been on the receiving end of feeling like I’m in a meat market (clubs, pubs etc) and it feels awful. My choice. yes, but usually fuelled by emptiness and copious amounts of alcohol. I would not put myself in this situation nowadays and it is not a judgement of men. They are a product of society and until men AND women begin to respect and honour each other this ugly behaviour will continue. Thank goodness for men such as Michael and Serge Benhayon who reflect that there is another way.

      Reply
  • Joseph Barker says: February 12, 2020 at 9:52 am

    So much of what we see play out with men are behaviours we’ve adopted in reaction to other experiences which in themselves were probably triggered by other reactions too! So many steps away from the truth and a real domino effect. Trying to fix these issues just bogs is down – but seeing them for what they are (not us) is incredibly powerful way to go as you show Michael.

    Reply
    • Mary says: May 30, 2020 at 2:56 pm

      Hi Joseph, I really appreciate what you are sharing how we are bogged down by ideals and beliefs we have soaked up from our surroundings. I am just starting to understand that this is not who I am. That in its self is the starting point of not giving myself a hard time because I have accepted something that is not me.

      Reply
  • Leigh says: November 13, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    Such a sweet photo at the end. Complementing the words above it brilliantly so. Tender men are really beautiful.

    Reply
  • Greg Barnes says: November 5, 2019 at 4:54 am

    I will never cheat my goal of ‘NOT’ sleeping with a spouse, as they have made their choice so therefore in no way would it feel true in my body to sleep around in any situation where the female in question is married.

    Reply
  • SLC says: November 2, 2019 at 4:25 am

    It is so the norm now a days for men to hold these conversations, it is all of our responsibility to live and move in a way that says this is unacceptable. In order to say such a thing this young man is hurting – we don’t want a society full of hurt men we want a society filled with loving tender gentle men who know who they are.

    Reply
  • Vicky Cooke says: October 19, 2019 at 6:31 am

    ‘What Does it Mean to Be a Man?’ with the suicide rate increasing in men this is definitely a topic and discussion that is needed all around the world and for men to have a safe space to explore and express how they feel and what is going on for them. It is great to know on some level this has started but we have a long way to be with this.

    Reply
  • Slc says: October 19, 2019 at 6:28 am

    Any man or lady who sits and speaks from their soul brings the heavens and beyond.

    Reply
  • Michelle McWaters says: October 9, 2019 at 4:01 am

    ‘The reason this statement jarred me so much was the calculated nature of it. The fact that this particular young man was not alluding to a possibility of a just one-night regret: no, by his own confirmation he has made sleeping with someone’s wife his life aim. Equally disturbing was that his female companion laughed out loud as if it were the sweetest and most amusing thing she had heard. This was an icing on the already spoilt cake.’ It is shocking when we allow ourselves to see and feel the level of disconnection and abuse we have normalised in society. Simple common decency and respect is still far off for many if not most where abuse is an everyday expectation that goes unregistered as unacceptable.

    Reply
  • Sueq2012 says: September 13, 2019 at 3:01 pm

    Living with four brothers and as the eldest witnessing the changes of most of them from sweetness to eventually denying their own sweetness and sensitivity, unless you were able to witness their inner feelings, felt very sad to me growing up.

    Reply
  • Sueq2012 says: September 13, 2019 at 2:57 pm

    Your question as to how sweet sensitive delicate boys turn into rough tough machismo men has often been an issue for me. And as to why women want to pursue a similar path away from our innate sensitivity too. It’s because it’s so ‘normal’ in our current society, trained as we are in home and school to ‘toughen up’ and not cry when hurt. When we all reclaim our sensitivity society will be the better for it.

    Reply
  • Le says: September 7, 2019 at 5:48 am

    The current culture we have is really not ok, yet it’s became the norm.

    Reply
  • Greg Barnes says: September 1, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    How lost are we when the woman in this discussion accepts the way men talk and in no way does she seem to put a stop to such absurdities. As in everything we do there is other people involved and they are our sons and daughters, parents and grandparents, etc, and thus the knock on effect can multiply out experientially.

    Reply
    • Sueq2012 says: September 13, 2019 at 3:03 pm

      True Greg. Whoever we are we can step up and call out such behaviour as being normal.

      Reply
  • Mary says: August 28, 2019 at 2:28 am

    Love the photo of two super cool men reflecting back to humanity of what it is to be true gentle-men on this plane of life. You both ace it 🙂

    Reply
  • Viktoria says: August 18, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    Just like our dogmas about what it is to be a woman, we have dogmas of what it is to be a man… can we not give it a break and just cut each other some slack? Let ourselves feel who and what we really are before we place these labels on each other?

    Reply
  • Mary Adler says: August 14, 2019 at 1:43 pm

    “We no longer have to look at life through the lens of another person’s views and opinions.” This is relevant for us all as we learn to live who we naturally are.

    Reply
  • Annoymous says: August 3, 2019 at 11:54 pm

    What a beautiful picture of you both, really very inspirational. Thank you for daring to step out of societies norms to claim the divinity you are.

    Reply
  • Julie says: August 2, 2019 at 1:33 pm

    Unfortunately, this is just one man or many who have lost their way and are acting out in a way that is so far removed from the truth of who they are. Thank God there are young men who can reflect a different way of being and living.

    Reply
  • Vicky Cooke says: August 1, 2019 at 5:56 am

    So sad that this is actually someones goal!!!! “I will never cheat my goal of sleeping with a spouse.” Just proves there is sooooooo much work to do with relationships both with ourselves and with others.

    Reply
    • Sueq2012 says: September 13, 2019 at 3:06 pm

      True, and as the saying goes it takes two to tango. So we can’t just blame men, not that I’m wanting to blame men. It’s society that needs to be called to account. And we all make up society. Responsibility time…..

      Reply
  • Viktoria says: July 26, 2019 at 1:57 pm

    Very beautiful blog, it is very useful to read the words of a man who is not afraid to be himself & write from these observations.

    Reply
  • kehinde2012 says: July 24, 2019 at 2:02 pm

    Some young men, post puberty, still hold the natural beauty, tenderness and ‘ sweet delicacy’ they had as boys. Many lose it, but a joy to behold when young and adult men continue to deepen their innate and precious qualities and reflect to others what is possible.

    Reply
  • kehinde2012 says: July 24, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    “Could it be that as young men we put women down or objectify them so that we can be one step ahead of any potential rejection?” This sums up the dangers of a life lived through pictures, rather than in the here and now with what is. Many relationships fail because of pictures we hold.

    Reply
    • Sueq2012 says: September 13, 2019 at 3:08 pm

      So true Kehinde. Having pictures and expectations are a killer in any relationship. I say this from personal experience.

      Reply
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