I get questioned from time to time about why I need to write about doing personal inventory and remaining “mindful” around the impact of Toxic masculinity upon my life, and upon the human race in general. Some perceive that I must have anger or hatred motivating me for “attacking” our masculine heritage and background.
Those questions have led to the following story appearing here:
A man got into his car, and put Jimmy Cliff’s song “I Can See Clearly Now” onto his car audio player. He started the car, and began driving down the road during a driving rainstorm. Not more than one block down the road, he slammed head-on into another car, critically injuring himself and the other driver, who happened to be a female.
The policeman who showed up on the scene investigated the accident, and noted that the male driver had failed to turn his windshield wipers on. He visited him in the hospital to interview him, so that he could finish his report. When the driver who failed to turn on his windshield wipers awoke from his coma, the officer asked him why he didn’t turn on his windshield wipers.
“Officer, I did everything right. I was playing the right music in the background, and I trusted that I was seeing all that I needed to see”.
The officer immediately cited him for reckless endangerment and reckless driving.
There is your answer.
Men who practice the following credo of toxic masculinity attitudes:
“don’t talk, don’t touch, don’t feel for others, don’t feel for self, don’t cry, don’t address relationship issues, don’t evolve”
are driving blindly through life, and causing innumerable collisions with all other beings. And, much of the rain falling on us is self generated, and maintained through peer pressure (the common knowledge game)..
Our unconscious behavior causes damage every moment of every day. Turn on those damned windshield wipers, fellows, and leave them on! If we are still a man, and a human being, it is always raining somewhere inside of our minds, or even in our heart. If someone writes us a citation for our behavior, we need to learn from it, rather than resisting it.
It might be a sunny day today, but men attempting to leave toxicity should always have their windshield wipers in good repair and ready for use.
It is best to avoid collisions, or reduce the impact of any unavoidable ones.
Don’t trust those airbags, OK? Forgiveness is not necessarily going to be instantaneously offered to we who continue to offend other people’s spiritual sensibilities, especially if we habitually exhibit bad behavior and attitudes.
Please, save yourself
