This was fascinating. As a man, what I've found to be the crux of the issue is the following: a minority among us are attempting to normalize emotional vulnerability, growth, and dare I say even a compassionate softness.

However, it seems weird when we do—the culture is like WTF, (some) women are like WTF, and men who feel no shame or attachment are *definitely* like WTF. That lift is HEAVY for those at the tip of that spear.

It won't work until it bleeds outward. Until it *does* become normalized. Until it *does* become a rite of passage.