An Ode to the Men

International Men’s Day

Today morning I woke up to a day celebrated as International Men’s Day, 19 November. Unlike International Women’s Day for which the noise starts almost a month before, we barely get to hear anything around Men’s Day. This makes me wonder why men’s day is so under-appreciated.

In our society, when men try to find ways to express themselves, they often are not understood. Because, they are supposed to have a certain type of “Masculine ‘ behaviour i.e. powerful, strong and someone who cannot be emotional and just cannot CRY.

Do MEN have a choice?

At times, I really pity men and feel the world is a bit harsh towards them! (of course, my heart goes out to all the working mothers; it is definitely an achievement to cope up with a dual role). Do men have an option to take a sabbatical, do they have an option to just quit and take care of the kids, do they work to be independent, do they live with a feeling that I am working to just keep myself busy, do they work with a feeling that I am too qualified to sit at home?

NO……NO…….NO……….

They work to earn a living, they work to upbring a family, they work to secure future of their kids, they work to make a mark, they work to attain fame, they work so that the family can live a comfortable life.  They always live with a feeling to shoulder the financial burden of their families. Looking at my Father, my Husband, my Brother, all are working so that their respective families can have a good healthy life. Don’t they get tired with their monotonous lifestyle, the mundane routine? What motivates them to work selflessly and earn a living for his family; his wife, his kids, who weren’t even there with him during his tough times when he was trying to stand strong on his feet?

The “MAN Pressure”

Men are born strong, they are born to commit selflessly, they are born heroes. It is so true to say that a successful man continues to look for work even after he has found a job.

Even though they are so strong, but they are still not allowed to express their emotions publicly or personally, else they are termed WEAK. They cannot cry because they are MEN. They are expected to be tough, but if they fight, they become ABUSERS.

I remember fighting with my brother during my younger days, the common reaction of my parents was one of the two ways always:

– did you beat your sister? How can you even do this? Boys should never beat a girl.

– you got beaten by your sister? You must have done something terribly wrong.

I really pity him now, thinking about the good old days. So much of ‘THE BOY PRESSURE’ he would have gone through, poor him, could not even cry or abuse, because men should never do that!

MEN are from MARS and Women are from VENUS.

Is this actually true? Men and women are equal and do not fall in categories. Men are not from mars and women are not from Venus. Both are equal creations of God who need freedom of expression, who have their own fears, desires, and motivation. Usually, Men are never complimented, and they never expect that too.

On the contrary, we want our men to notice even an inch of a weight loss or weight gain.  Are we not too harsh to them?

Celebrate MEN

Let us be more complementing to them. Let us thank them more frequently, to keep them going. When the going gets tough, let us support them in every possible manner.  Let us thank them for the beautiful life they are giving us. Let us thank them for the continuous adrenaline they have in them to make it bigger.

Maybe sometimes they need someone to simply be there, not to fix anything or do anything in particular, but just to make them feel that they are cared for and supported. 

Happy International Men’s Day!