To foster an environment where men and women can equally share love and be open about it, the gendering of emotions must dissolve. Society must be willing to accept men as emotional beings too, allowing the expression of love and emotions. Love should be a fluid concept, a river of emotions that flows between both genders. Both men and women fear being alone, and experiment with things like love through trial and error, learning what to do and what not to do to be successful in love( Behaviorism, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). With this trial and error, men as well as women need guidance from superiors as well as peers. If we can adopt Hume’ s idea of sympathy, we can share these emotions of love. Hume states that“ being sympathetic reduces distance between individuals”( Empathy and Sympathy in Ethics, Internet Encyclopedia of Psychology). By reducing this emotional rift, love can become unshackled by gender, allowing each gender to talk about it freely.
Rather than simply getting drunk instead of facing our emotions of love, men must realize that love is a real emotion experienced by everyone. It isn’ t in any way, shameful to talk about a prospective partner and realize that you have some type of love for them. Men have a preconceived notion that talking about love with people like their dad is simply off limits, a topic that they should just keep to themselves. When one incorporates love into their life and takes the time to process their own emotions, they are moving towards the“ for-itself,” realizing their true potential. Instead of focusing on the gaze of others and mentally stripping ourselves of emotional freedom, we must find other ways to express love. Whether this be through any sort of art or simply talking about it, it must be done. Men should no longer be able to identify with songs like“ A Design For Life,” because these feelings of repression should have no place in our society. Breaking all cultural representations of a stereotypical man will allow for a true human experience, one where love can play a large role in your life, ultimately steering you towards emotions that can lead to happiness.
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