Is
there a man alive who has not been blindsided by a funk that jeopardizes
his happiness, sense of purpose and meaning, and his intimate relationships?
Moods are a phenomenon particular to men. To some degree, every
modern man has suffered them.
A
mood can be thought of as a man's unconscious response to an uprush
of emotion, which he typically characterizes as feminine and therefore
tries to disregard. Our culture demands that a man be strong and
rational; so when he feels vulnerable and emotional (feminine, to
his way of thinking) he tries to suppress his feelings. He doesn't
respect that kind of affect in others and hates it in himself.
But that unlived feminine life in a man demands its place. If it
can't get it legitimately (through conscious acknowledgment of feeling),
it will come through illegitimately and present symptomatically
as a mood.
Many
men today try to survive without acknowledging any inner life at
all. We often act as though there were no inner dimension, no realm
of the soul. We try to meet our needs completely with the external,
material realm. But when we ignore our inner needs, our outer life
becomes toxic-leading to frustrations with relationships, communication,
conflict, anger and depression.
In
the '80s, Glen began delving into the core issues of masculine psychology
by participating in workshops, conferences, seminars, and retreats
with many of the founding fathers of the contemporary men's movement:
Sam Keen, Robert Bly, Michael Meade, Robert Johnson.
Since
that time, Glen has made active contributions to the men's movement,
which today, offers guidance in such practical matters as divorce
and child custody issues, male victims of domestic violence and
sexual harassment, and gender specific medical diseases and psychological
hurdles.
Mid-life transitions, for example, play out in particular patterns
unique to men. A large part of most masculine mid-life crises comes
as a result of having disciplined oneself into a crippling stalemate.
Just as the Vatican made a Holy Quaternity by adding Mary to the
masculine Trinity; just as Batman, Robin, and Alfred needed Batgirl
to restore balance to their team; so is the task of masculinity
at midlife to set a place at the interior table for the long awaited
return of the feminine.
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