I love men. I love men a lot!  Some of my favorite humans (most especially my son) are of the male species. I love them so much sometimes that it hurts. The hurt, however, is not for lack of love. Instead, it is the deep hurt I feel when I see some (perhaps many) men failing to participate in a world that deeply needs their strength, courage, and most especially their voice.

First I want to say THANK YOU to the men I know and see who stand up in the face of injustice, who risk criticism and condemnation for speaking/living/expressing their truth, who defend the rights of women and children, and who risk certain loss for defending the rights of the disenfranchised. I want to thank those who have risked life, limb, status, and their own welfare for doing what is right, even when they know it might certainly mean having to turn in “the man card.” Thank you Thank you Thank you too all these good men who are working hard to support the betterment of our world.

WE NEED MANY, MANY MORE LIKE YOU!

Which brings me to the difficult words. While these good men are doing good things in the world, there are far too few of them. If we ever hope for the patriarchal/hierarchical/fear/power/oppression/control machine to turn around, we desperately need the men to stand up, speak out, and take action. White men especially, for the simple reason that the only way to turn this thing around is for those for whom it was built and for those who most benefit to stand up and say,

“THIS IS WRONG!  THIS ISN’T WORKING. TOO MANY ARE SUFFERING FOR THE SAKE OF THE FEW.” 

Then they need to do something about it.

I’ve grown weary of men who only watch as women, children, and the disenfranchised and discriminated against weep, and cry, and wail for the suffering brought forth in our world by a few powerful men.  I’ve grown tired of giving my voice to a cause only to watch my words fall on deaf ears. I’m exhausted from caring about the world and those who are suffering in it because of the actions of greedy, gluttonous, prideful men and their complicit women, and wondering, while I’m caring, if anyone else cares. Do people even see all that has gone wrong in our world or has blindness become a defense mechanism as the whole world is turning to shit?  It is too painful to watch and too overwhelming to even begin to do something about it?

Those of us who have been the eyes, the voice, the heart for our dying world are exhausted. This is why we need MEN to stand up and do something more than just watch!

Sidenote: I know my words won’t make a difference. I just needed to speak it and say it so those who share these feelings know they aren’t alone. Thank you sisters and all the good men who are seeing, speaking, and acting on behalf of the healing and transformation of our dying world.  

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