The post below was originally published on my blog on May 7, 2010… the day of my grandpa’s funeral.
As I get ready for my grandpa’s funeral today, I’m reminded that a real man is not afraid to show his emotions.
As men, when we’re happy or excited about something, most of us will visibly and audibly celebrate. When we’re angry about something, we have no problem letting the world know. And yet, when we’re upset, hurt, or sad about something we often try to “hold it in” for lack of a better description.
While something could certainly be said about the degree of discipline it takes a man to hold in his tears, I would argue that it takes a lot more discipline to let them out.
Most men, if we’re gut-level honest with ourselves, would say that we typically don’t cry for one of two reasons. The first reason being that we don’t want to appear weak. And the second? We just can’t make the tears come out no matter how hard we want to.