"After (my 13-year-old son) Seamus read Michael Kamber's essay about his Iraq experience, the discussion we had about Seamus's dream to join the military went way beyond the Jason Bourne stuff we had talked about before. For the first time, we talked about what serving the country, and war, really means: the good, the bad, death, bodies torn apart. Michael's story and our conversation dealt a decisive blow to the big-screen fantasies of war Seamus has grown up with "which are all he had in the absence of our talk. The book as a whole has given Seamus a new, honest, real way to think of his own approaching manhood.
Gannon says, "From the time Tom sent me the first of the essays, I was riveted by the subject matter and the potential to help redefine the place of men in modern America. Each man in the film has a unique background and a unique story to tell, yet I also find their stories reflect many of the same challenges most men face today but may be afraid to talk openly about. The courage and candor of the men who appear in the film is astounding.
The other segments were populated by men who have been in prison, men who chose neither fight nor flight, men who speak their hearts, who struggle to get up the courage to tell a father, "I love you for the first time, and one who escaped from Russia armed with a grenade for protection, eager to build a new life in America for himself and his wife.
One fellow ruminated on the complexities of how to balance it all: "We learned from our mothers " to be a more present and nurturing partner, and how coupling that with being successful in business, a good dad, and a good citizen, are "all wonderful things (but) I was secretly wondering if I was the only one struggling to balance it all.
It takes quite a bit of juggling to keep all the balls in the air, no pun intended. (OK, I cannot tell a lie, I intended that pun.) And a little advice and fellowship from other men trying to do the same thing offers a sense of camaraderie on the path to discerning the good man within.
One guy discovered that amidst feelings of failure, the freeing effect of being told by another man, "you are a good man, opened up more of the possibilities of success.
The project offers a platform for many men to tell their stories, listen to others' stories, reflect on their own lives, and then come to their own conclusions.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
