Man.

Man is expected to hold up everything and everyone around them. 

I was scrolling twitter one day and I saw a video of a guy who’s work place had just been shot up by a coworker and he was talking to the camera just describing the experience. Another one of his coworkers around him was crying and he went over and comforted her. The replies to the video was what sent me into a spiral of thought because several of them pointed out that “he didn’t look sad and he looked composed” and some response to that were , “of course he does , he is a man he has to be strong in these type of situations”

The only time I saw my father cry was when his mother died. Growing up my family was put in many tough circumstances. I never heard my father be negative, he just always said we will figure it out. Sometimes I wonder if that was because he really felt that way or because he felt he couldn’t show doubt so we wouldn’t worry. Probably felt that my mom was negative enough that he had to be the contrast. 

The first part of the piece alludes to a popular Greek myth about the titan atlas who was meant to hold up the sky. If atlas fails the world can be destroyed. It’s a great deal of pressure.

The second part is a look inside the man. You see a smaller him in a balled up vulnerable position. When we are younger and smaller , it’s a-lot more acceptable to cry and be vulnerable, even in a society where people “value” men’s health. It’s still hard to show this side of oneself. 

I wonder how many tears my dad has hidden from me. I wonder if I will do the same for my family one day.
 
-BLE77