One of the largest mobilizations of the past decade was the women’s rights movement and its push for not just equal rights, but also empowerment.
The next generation of women is growing up knowing they hold power. Though western society is nowhere near perfect for women, the concept of female empowerment undoubtedly grew throughout the 2010s.
With the 2020s upon us, it is time to also address a growing crisis: the deteriorating definition of being a man.
While the past decade brought the issue of men’s mental health to the forefront, society has failed to confront one of the key reasons for men struggling with mental health challenges: a lack of expectation and purpose.
The latter half of the 2010s provided the recognition of toxic masculinity and the ways men could be more accepting. However, the true issue lies in the fact that there is lacking common sense of purpose in men today.
The allure of female empowerment has been that women now have a common sense of purpose beyond the traditional family life. This has encouraged women to pursue their dreams, whether it be in careers that men have typically dominated, or any other path. It is their choice.
As a society, we have successfully pointed out what men do wrong. We have also told them how to improve. However, we have utterly failed to understand that merely barking orders will not change men’s behaviour. It may, in fact, accomplish the opposite.
What men require is a higher reason, or a purpose, to improve their behaviour beyond doing so merely because they are told to. Young men and future generations of men will not change if they are left to themselves without a sense of purpose guiding them and expectations to motivate them.
In the past, being a man meant understanding that sometimes one must put the interests of others above their own. It meant raising children and instilling the virtues of honour, sacrifice, and respect. Being a man came with duties and responsibilities, such as being the protector of women and children, and the concept of loyalty. Loyalty should come first in any relationship, and this has been lost on the current generation.
Above all, being a man meant being a giver, not a taker. We must bring back these expectations, along with the expectation of acceptance.
This is not to ignore the many injustices committed by men. However, masculinity and the concept of “being a man” in and of themselves, are positive. Rather, it is the sense of masculine entitlement that has attained the horrendous widespread feats of female objectification and violence.
While it is vital that we support men suffering from mental health issues and other life challenges, it is going to be a continuous cycle unless a common sense of purpose in the lives of men is re-instilled.
This can be done by not just telling men what they are doing wrong all the time (which unfortunately was the case throughout the 2010s), but by also providing words of encouragement when they succeed that will make men want to change. Any leader knows that criticizing another person without also cheering that person on with encouragement creates a motivation to rebel, not a motivation to reach higher.
Men require encouragement and a sense of purpose, just as any person does. If we want to truly help men overcome their struggles, as a society we must bring back the sense of purpose that helped create great men like Martin Luther King, Jr., Winston Churchill, Alan Turing, and Muhammad Ali. Though none were perfect, they were inspired by a higher purpose, which many young men lack in the 21st century.
The key is building men up rather than simply tearing them down. This applies to men of all races, faiths and sexual orientations. The success of men is equally as important to the future of society, as the success of powerful women.
Feature image from file.
