I apologize that my initial reply was misinterpreted, as my alluding to the "Black male" side of this was in no way in reference to our "plight", but instead, was to draw a contrast between what "things" makes a Black man "a man" vs. what makes a white man "a man".
I was actually straying off topic a bit in going down that route, though it is relevant.
Just understand the ideals you uphold, your perspective on what makes a "man", were given to you(and everyone else). And it doesn't automatically mean it is right or even makes much sense.
I will leave you with this one last little interesting tale. It's much shorter than what it looks, and really drives home the broader perspective many of us are trying to hammer home. Again, it's not as long as it seems and I encourage you to read and reason:
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village. A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish
and asked how long it took to catch them.
"Not very long" they answered in unison.
"Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the tourist.
The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet
their needs and those of their families.
"But what do you do with the rest of your time?" asked the tourist.
"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas
with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our
friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We
have a full life," they answered.
The tourist interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the
extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger
boat."
"And after that?" they asked.
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second
one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of
trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate
directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.
You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City , Los Angeles ,
or even New York City ! From there you can direct your huge new
enterprise," explained the tourist.
"How long would that take?" they asked.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the tourist.
"And after that?" they asked.
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting,"
answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you
can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the fishermen.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a
siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your
friends."
"With all due respect Sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So
what's the point wasting twenty-five years?" asked the fishermen.
you make a spot sound like its so bad thing by naming all these negative aspects....
But I will say my mom is the more independent-minded one
She wants all of us to have a strong foundation as a single person before we get married so we'll have something to fall back on 'just in case'.u cant rent a spot in brazil with some other people
at your only two options being living with your moms or in a 1 bedroom, roach hot box in the hood...
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