How I unlearned dangerous lessons about masculinity

Big boys don't cry.

Suck it up.

Shut up and rub some dirt on it.

Stop crying before I give you
something to cry about.

These are just a few of the phrases that
contribute to a disease in our society,

and more specifically in our men.

It's a disease that has come
to be known as "toxic masculinity."

It's one I suffered a chronic case of,

so much so that I spent 24 years
of a life sentence in prison

for kidnapping, robbery,
and attempted murder.

Yet I'm here to tell you today that
there's a solution for this epidemic.

I know for a fact the solution works,
because I was a part of human trials.

The solution is a mixture of elements.

It begins with the willingness
to look at your belief system

and how out of alignment it is

and how your actions negatively impact not
just yourself but the people around you.