In his Substack series, “Mindful Masculinity,” Rich D’Ambrosio comments on the crisis he sees impacting contemporary men.  There’s a conflict, he believes, between societal expectations, typically centered on traditional male roles of provider, fighter, stoic — and our personal intentions, which might be different.  Rich elaborated on this point in a podcast with Damon Mitchell, another Substack author writing on themes of masculinity and a coach for men.  During their discussion, Rich spoke of his long career at American Express, where his team focused relentlessly on sales goals.  But then confided what mattered to him most was to be a sensitive and loving father.  His point was that conflict between work goals and personal intentions creates huge pressure for men — can even leave us feeling “disconnected” from our emotions.

At first, I questioned Rich’s narrative.  I’m a stubborn man and purposeful.  I’ve never experienced a state of “disconnection,” nor have I observed this condition in others.

But few days later at a holiday party, a young man named K**** looked me in the eyes, distress written across his face, and blurted out “That’s exactly how I feel – and why I’m on anti-depressants.”  I’d tossed out the topic of emotional disconnection, curious to see what people thought. Continue reading “Reconnecting Emotions — An Essay Inspired by the “Masculinity Crisis”” →