World News Korner

"Be a man." Perhaps one of the hardest to follow directions we ever hear.

As I think most of you know I was raised by a single mother and did not have a father figure around for most of my formative years.

My male role models were Mannix, Little Joe Cartwright, and Captain James T. Kirk.

I learned that men did not show emotion, treated women like something temporary to be used and then cast aside, and that violence was the solution to just about everything.

On the other hand my mother's instruction was to not grow up to be like her most recent boyfriend who broke her heart or turned out to be an asshole.

That did not give me much to work with in the real world.

I did the best I could, but boy did I screw up a lot. Especially in high school.

However, after many missteps and wrong turns, I eventually grew up to be a more or less sensitive guy, who likes movies, working with kids, and talking about religion and politics.

I do not hurt women, I do not drink to excess, and I do not carry a gun (Or a phaser) to make myself feel masculine.

In the end my mom turned out to be my best role model simply by demonstrating that strong women should not threaten the egos of strong men, that raising children is not something that only woman can do well, and that our self worth should not be measured by what we have, but rather by what we give to others.

No way am I perfect, but I am far better than anybody ever thought I would turn out to be when I was a young boy. And today when I teach young boys what it is to be a man, there is no talk of competition or violence, but rather of responsibility and respect toward others.

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