I am tired of apologising for being a man.
I am honestly tired of defending my sex before women who do more to damage
their own standing in life and squander the years of good their forebears have
brought them.
But this is not about women. So I shall
conspicuously ignore them.
I recently stumbled upon a facebook page
called Dads on Duty that shares pictures and storied of fathers around the
world but mostly the USA who are defying all the stereotypes of men all over
the net and more.
These pictures stir my heart; they
encourage me on the journey I am taking towards a fuller manhood and maybe
someday fatherhood. They tell me that the situation may be dire but I am not
alone in the ideals that I espouse and that I have companions on this road that
is many times lonely and filled with despair. I salute them. I guess its extra encouraging that most pics on this page are posed by mothers, sisters and wives. Granted a picture is not a full story but you will not deny the emotions that wells in your heart when you read the captions on each picture. Check it out here
The other thing that has caught my eye is
the military and the sacrifices these men take for our safety and security. I have
loved the military and on many occasions I almost joined the forces only for my
mom’s instructions never to step in her house or even talk to her if I joined
up.
I have watched countless movies and read
many books and real life accounts plus articles on soldiers and why they do
what they do. The closest I have come to that level of camaraderie is as part
of a sports team. You become naturally a band of brothers where team work and
the pride of the man next to you becomes bigger than winning, which dulls in
comparison and is just the bonus of what you all went through on the pitch. I understand
why grown men weep when something goes wrong with the team, cause that loss is
a subtle judgement on the team and hence its members. It tells him that there
is something wrong, lacking; that his brotherhood is ill and in need of help.
I respect these men, who take my rhetoric
step further and take up arms to defend that which is sacred against enemies
equally passionate or worse with no moral code and fight with absolute disregard
for the “rules of war”.
 |
| . Members of The Old Guard have guarded the Tomb every second, of every day regardless of weather or holidays since April 6, 1948. "This is the best job in the Army because each one of us has given our best to provide the Unknowns the proper dignity and respect they deserve..." |
And so every day, I steel my face to the
world, adorn my best soldier face and go out resolved to fight my battles to
the bitter end and not flinch or Blanche at responsibility or shy away from
standing up for the truth or defend the weak.
