Investing in the emotional well being of our boys and young men may be the silver bullet for a healthier society. Make no mistake, emotional unresolved pain with ineffective coping strategies is at the root of misogyny, violence, rape, domestic abuse, depression, hate crimes, suicide, substance abuse and more.
- boys are 2x as likely to be victims of physical abuse
- boys are 4x as likely to commit suicide
- emotionally disturbed boys outnumber girls by 4 to 1
By age 9, most boys have learned to repress all primary feelings except anger. Thus "rage becomes the principle conduit for repressed pain, fear, sadness and grief." The bottom line from my perspective is how do we as a society do a better job of bringing a sense of purpose, meaning, belonging and a way of offloading emotions, including stress and anger, in ways that are adaptive and not harmful. I believe it is a modern day imperative.
Copied from Lucy Caldwell
Reading Children of Blood & bone . The narrative & descriptions felt so real. Whenever I got lost in a fantasy world of panthenaires, lionaires, maji, kosidans and magic I never wanted leave. Those moments felt like I lived the fiction & I wanted no escape. "Kwame brushes past me, running for the heart of the battle. He grips a dagger tight in his hands. Then he slashes open his palm. Blood magic. Horror settles into my bones. It’s like the world slows to a stop, stretching the seconds between this moment and the last Kwame will ever have. His blood glows with a white light, splashing as it hits the ground. In an instant the ivory light surrounds him, illuminating his dark skin like a god from above. When it reaches the top of his head, it seals his fate. A fire explodes from his skin. Smoldering embers rain from his body. Flames blaze around his form. The fire erupts from every limb, shooting out of his mouth, his arms, his legs. The blast towers meter...
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