What Makes a Man?

What makes a man?

And I don’t mean testosterone, penis, testicles, facial hair, etc.

If one is to be a man, how does he act? How does he look?

I’ve long been fascinated by what makes a man, since I’ve never really had a sense of how I was supposed to look, be or act in order to be a man. I never took any Man 101 classes, and frankly wonder if any men did either.

Let’s see...I maintain my eyebrows, keep hair off my ears, shave my head and most of my face, my armpits and legs and.... I love being in the kitchen, creating. I have definite likes and dislikes when it comes to design, art, “beauty”, and have been known to wear a dress or two in my day. I spend more time in gay bars than any others. I am reflective and aware that my empathic skills are lacking.

I can get by with tools. I’m not handy. I know good wines from bad and not based on cost. I am passionate about social justice, food security/safety and making sure that we’re all being treated equally. Knowing that we’re not, and haven’t been, and that things need to change.

A Canadian does not necessarily have to look like me to be any more or less Canadian.

Tim Hortons’ coffee is not something I like.

I cry.

I hug my friends, male and female.

I feel warm inside when a child smiles because of something I have done or said.

I want to fish, not because it’s what men do, but because I want to catch my dinner, or lunch, and thank it for making the sacrifice, so that we may enjoy it’s deliciousness. I want to slaughter an animal, so that I can say I killed my dinner. So that I can connect to the food chain.

I want to have a garden, not because of what I might grow, but because of how fresh my herbs or vegetables can be. So that I can connect to the food chain, and food supply chain.

I want to be connected.

I don’t want to be off the grid, but I am careful of how resources are used/wasted.

I don’t want to have chemicals around my house, myself or family.

I have a family. Many families. And I feel connected and disconnected to all of them.

What makes a man?

Please, tell me.