Tender Men
The courage is takes to be (and remain) tender
Last weekend, I was honoured to be the keynote speaker and resident poet at the Centre for Men and Families Australia annual national gathering. The common theme across all my sharing, from leadership workshops to keynote talks to 100+ men, was TENDERNESS.
I think tenderness is, and remains, one of the most misunderstood qualities a person can inhabit, particularly men. Tenderness seems to have been sidelined to a kind of weakness or undesirable trait that must be overcome - lest we suffer more pain and harm.
When some might see tenderness as a lack of courage, I argued that courage is the admission fee to authentic, tender living. It takes great courage to be and remain tender, particularly in cultures and spaces where tenderness is foreign. It takes great courage to live open and un-armoured, to live with an unveiled face, to stay awake and vulnerable to the sheer beauty and hardship of life.
As Pope Francis claimed several years ago, the world needs a 'revolution of tenderness'. Tenderness holds the key to compassion, connection, and courage at its best.
pic: Centre for Men and Families, Australia.
