Contemporary manhood and masculinity today are little discussed at their root. Our actions as melanated men are like a build up tinkering through a dam. Ironically, even in cartoons this resurfaced.

“I’m sorry for the way I behaved in my youth. I had a lot of self doubt and it manifested itself in the form of unchecked rage and aggression. I was a major jerk.” — Gideon Grey , a fox in Zootopia speaking to the lead character.

The other dimension is the sources of guidance in pubs, clubs, hikes and socials tend not to realize their intended transformations. For example most people are more inclined to choose sides or offer and either or type of guidance; without offering a suggestion of unity and pure progress. Why does this happen often? Because there’s a blatant electoral emotions type of system where the sustenance of a quality of life is through a percentage count: how angry are you? how much time did you spend? — never have we, as men, ever asked how long did we actually listen to a complement or grievance. This is symptomatic of an internal fear to face the taps of factors influencing our day to day treatment of women, men and children. We are better off talking in detail about premium whiskey, torque, an album we heard or a sports match than we are inclined to riddle each other out of the layers of life we experience for the better.

Some I know argue that sports are a great place to build character and understanding certain parts of life. Frankly, nothing can substitute the feeling of sitting down and discussing living as men in the contemporary reality of being melanated; whilst reflecting deeply on the conditioning we are but products of. The de-socialization of philosophy as a pass time at homesteads and coffee shops are simply part of the brainwashing process television screens with fit men running are surrounded by drunk men thirsty and hungry.

There’s a needle in a haystack of reflection and we’re not going to have a generation of men making efforts to be tender and tough — in mind, body and spirit. Time to reflect on the cause and effect.