Editorial By Ryan Brahm
We have a major problem in our society today. Well…ok we have lots of problems such as drug abuse and mass shootings, but I want to talk about a problem that I believe can easily be fixed, our mindset.
The general mindset of the human race is that males are tough and strong, while women are week, and emotional. This has caused several issues in both genders. Women that are more muscular, or enjoy doing activities that are typically designated as “manly”. These females would get ridiculed, and talked down to. They would be seen as less desirable. I understand that everyone has their “type” that they find attractive and that’s not anyone’s fault, but when I was in Middle and High School, some of the things that would be said about the girls that fit that description, were horrendous. I hate to admit it, but I would take part in the belittlement of them, due to a convoluted rational of fitting in.
Now onto men. Parents use the phrase “man up” all the time when a child begins to cry when the scrap their knee, or aren’t given the candy they want. Why is that? Why should men be held to a different emotional standard? The human brain is a very sensitive part of our anatomy. I battled my inner demons by keeping everything bottled up inside, and all it did was make things worse. I would “man up” because I knew I would be ridiculed for being “week”. I would be told that I was a wussy. So instead of telling my parents that I was struggling with thoughts of depression and suicide, and getting the help I needed, I kept it all inside. The mind is like a balloon. The more you keep in it, the more volatile it becomes. If you keep adding stress to it, it will eventually burst. That can end in a couple of ways. Either the individual will lash out on themselves, or they will lash out on others.
A lot of people may stray away from seeking help form a psychiatrist due to the ill-conceived notion that seeking help is a sign of weakness. I know it has been said multiple times in these stories, but it needs reiterating. Seeking help is harder than keeping it inside. The way I see it, and I believe everyone should start to see it this way as well, is getting help for your mental health is a sign of strength. Admitting you need help takes some real intestinal fortitude.
In conclusion, stop judging people based on the historical roles of their gender. All it is doing is adding extra stress to a mind that is already a fragile thing. Don’t be afraid of talking to someone to release some of the tension on your mind balloon. Just remember, the sound of air escaping a balloon is way more enjoyable than the sound of a balloon popping
-Ryan Brahm.
