In the world we live in, tears are often analysed. It is almost a guarantee that if you shed a tear, everyone around you will ask why you are crying. Crying, unfortunately, has become a public issue in most cases, and with this loss of personal intimacy, a sense of shame and ridicule has come about.
Especially for guys, crying is seen as a shameful act. Crying is seen as a sign of weakness, and most young men see shedding tears as being less of a man. According to a survey by Cosmopolitan done in 2010, five percent of men admitted to being ashamed of crying, and believing that crying, under any circumstance, should not happen. Additionally, thirty-nine percent said that men should only cry in response to tragedy. Twenty-nine percent saw nothing wrong with crying, as long as it is not in public. Only twenty-seven percent, sadly, found it okay to cry at any time. This is shocking and sad for me to see.
Men are so worried about seeming strong and powerful, and there's no room in this equation for tears. It is necessary to cry, and bottling your emotions inside is not healthy and can actually damage your emotional state. Crying can be a powerful tool to release emotions, both joyful and sorrowful. I have cried many a times, and I am not ashamed to admit this. I have cried on my personal walks, alone, and I have cried in public. I believe that if we are overwhelmed by emotion, but refuse to cry, it can damage the impact of the moment. It is dangerous to push our feelings inside, ignoring them. They can then become bottled and pressured, and eventually, they will explode.
Jesus, Savior and Lord, was unashamed of crying. In John 11:35, after the death of Lazarus, "Jesus wept." This is the shortest verse of the Bible, and I believe that this is so because God wanted to showcase the fact that it is okay to cry. In addition, in Luke 19:41, as Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, he wept for them. If God Himself was unashamed to cry, why should we?
In conclusion, crying is not weakness. I believe that the act of crying can be a very strong one, and it shows courage. It is my hope that the stereotype of weakness because of crying is banished, and men become unashamed to cry, even weep, when they feel the need.
