The whole atmosphere was gloomy. Everyone was mourning. Her death was a fatal blow especially to her husband. Nobody imagined that she would die so soon. No! Definitely not her! She was still a young woman. Her marriage was barely five years old and she just had one child. Her husband sat with a few men around him, looking lost into space. He was sad and confused. He wanted to burst out in tears but was cautioned by the few men around that men do not cry. He was hurt deep inside but couldn't let it out. It was eating him so deep.
The society has made men think that crying makes them weak. A man can be going through a lot but can't express it because of what the society may think of him. He smiles through it all but is hurting deep inside. We hear suicidal cases and most of them are men. They could be battling depression and smiling. They could be going through heartbreak, their life might be torn apart but still acting normal. They are not permitted to break down in tears for fear of what the society might think of them. They are asked to bottle up their emotions even when they are deeply hurt. You hear statements like, "A man is not supposed to cry", "Why should you cry in front of a woman, don't you know it makes her see you as a weakling". The questions we should ask ourselves is these - Is a man not also a human being? Does being a man make him an immortal without human feelings and emotions? Does crying in front of your woman make you a weak man? We are humans and we all have emotions. A woman can freely cry in public so, a man should be allowed to cry also. Crying out has a way of purging out hurts and pain. Instead of bottling up that hurt, you can let them out in tears. It doesn't make you weak. It only shows that you are human. Cry in peace.