Are you man enough?

 I've been living with my brother for quite some time now, and this has shed light upon a concept society ignores: Masculinity 

No big introduction today, I'm going to directly cut to the chase. So here we go, 

I'm noticing that men in general can feel emasculated by what a woman can request them to do, if I ask  my brother to do the dishes or tidy his bed, he gets offended, as if  I'm withdrawing his power or depriving him from his "Masculinity" , it's like I'm asking him to do something that is outside his nature: To take care of his own shit. 

It's already evident that we live in a patriarchal system of domination, where men believe that they hold power and should always play the role of the "providers".

Men have been conditioned at some point through history, school systems, homes and society that there is a part of them that should be taken care of by a woman. This is a very controlling point that has been enforced in the subconscious mind of most men. 

What is this internal, invisible force that is causing men to feel offended if asked to do the dishes or clean the house? This is a product of socialization (and not biology) that engraved in the brain of men that it is not their work to take care of the house (being fully aware that men are also actively living in this house and cleaning dishes means taking care of themselves too). 

On another note, men have also been conditioned not to feel nor express, men are not taught to be emotional creatures, and that is why they grow up with low coping mechanisms, they shut down anytime they feel anything other than happiness or pride that feeds their ego. 

But here's the thing every woman wants a man to know: 

Vulnerability is not a sign  of weakness, showing affection is not a sign of weakness, opening up is not a sign of weakness but a sign of humanity, so please make room for the messiness of being human, allow us in, and most importantly allow yourself into those neglected parts of your wounded inner child, make space for your true authentic self and learn to accept and hold your broken parts so gently and with love.

And don't get me wrong, a woman should not play the role of your mother, we do not seek to play that role , we are not responsible for your wounds nor for your healing, but we are a unit, and through our relationships we connect and we experience intimacy and love and compassion to one another.

So tell me, are you man enough to be vulnerable? Are you man enough to allow your emotions to flow? Are you man enough to hold your wounded inner child and work on becoming more empathetic and compassionate? Are you man enough to unlearn what the patriarchal system defines masculinity and relearn what masculinity really is?