Crying

I am a man, and I cry. Yes, you read right. I am a man, and I cry.

The prevalent perception in the media is that, because I cry, I have to be somewhat less of a man; that my tears remove me from that half of the Human race and place me a netherworld of not-men.

Well, I've got news for them. It makes me more of a man.

I cry for hope, I cry for pain, I cry sometimes... Well, sometimes I just cry. When I'm out walking something weird occasionally happens. I can be having a really good day, things are going well with no unusual stresses or strains, yet for some reason I will spontaneously start crying. This is not because I am particularly upset, or am finding things hard; it just happens. I look at my wedding photos and cry (out of joy, I must add).

In the minds of many people the tears are a sign of weakness. They could not be more wrong.

Often the crying actually makes me feel much better afterwards, as if it purges my system of any negative emotions. Yet still, tears are seen as a sign of weakness in men.

It is not. It is a sign of strength. It is a sign that you can release your emotions slowly instead of letting them build up. It is a sign that you are not a Neanderthal.