Men

A man is so much more than just a male. He is held to a certain standard, and expected to have certain qualities if he wants to be considered "manly" which we almost all do. But the perceptions of this word and what it stands for are thought of so differently by different cultures and different people. So what do you need to be if you want to be a "man"?

In my culture, (which is basically just in my head) a man is somebody who is never looked down upon, and uses bravery, intelligence, strength, and social skills in a respected manor. No, you do not need to put out a burning building to be considered brave. You don't need to score a 2400 on your SATs to be intelligent. You don't have to be superman to demonstrate strength, nor must you know everyone in the world to have good social skills. The thing that separates my vision of a man as opposed to everybody else's, is their ability to act on a given situation, and create the best possible outcome for everybody-- and putting themselves last. I consider a man to be brave when he will stand up for a cause that society or a group of people has already made up their mind on. I enjoy seeing a man with an open mind, not afraid to share what is on it, whether it make everybody else around him happy or not. I consider a man to be intelligent when he is able to get out of a bad situation with minimal consequences, or by using his unique brain to put himself or others in a great position. My brother is one of the manliest men I know in this sense, from getting us out of trouble with stupid little things with my parents like staying out too late, to getting the both of us out of the party when he knew people were getting out of control and it would not end well. I consider a man to be strong when he is always the one to look to when you need to hear "It will be okay." My dad does this all the time, with any circumstance. Even if it is as small as when I was not sure if I can get all my homework done, to as big as when my grandmother died, he is always there telling me everything will work out. And when I say a man should be socially skilled, I mean that he is able to talk about anything with anyone, never endure awkward moments, and make the best of meeting new people. My father does this all the time with meeting my new friends and talking to them or their dads and keeping a conversation alive and being a well-liked man.

I think that these expectations are very hard on men, but most men that I meet are up to the challenge. They like the result which is being considered manly and well-liked and are willing to make that small sacrifice. But these qualities are not found in every man, and this could either be because not all people expect what I do, or because not all men see it necessary. But certainly the men in my life follow these codes and I respect them greatly for it. I think that most men believe they have some responsibilities, but not nearly as many as society thinks they should. They do the right thing for the most part and are respectful and brave in some aspects, but not to the extent they are expected to by some people, of course with a few exceptions.