Let Boys Be Boys!!!

lol, I know ya'll remember that song, I can feel ya bobbin ya heads out there...

I had a talk with a young man the other day. It was the young man inside of me; the me of my boyhood. I wanna say he's got nuffin on me, but the truth is... that's hard to say, lol.

I mean, of course, I've got the knowledge, I've got the experience, I've got the understanding, I've got the size, I've got the mobility--- heck, I've got the driver's license. But there's a certain magic that boys have that men--- real men--- just don't.

There was a moment on this cartoon I was watching that really stuck in my mind. A warrior was reflecting on his youth, and he truly believed he was stronger as a youngster. Why? Well, when he got older, he found love. He found a wife, he raised a family, he developed attachments. And he felt that love, while it made a man of him, also softened him, did away with his ruthlessness, put reigns on his power and put sentiment in his heart.

I'm pretty sure any female is offended to be reading this right now, but... let's take a trip back. I promise, this will come full circle by the end, lol.

Remember when we were kids? Remember how they used to teach us that girls mature faster than boys? We, as boys, used to get slightly offended by that. For one, for a little while, some of you girls were taller than us! That's no biggie though; in retrospect, it was probably harder for you being larger than it was for us being smaller, with "social expectatios" and all...

But here was the second thing: when they called you "more mature", it wasn't just biological, but your actions were deemed "more mature". And now that I'm an adult, I can see how so: it's because back then, most little girls spent their girlhoods acting out the parts of grown women. Fellas, I know this doesn't go for everybody, but how many of us actually knew what love was when we were boys? I'm willing to bet the majority of boys who had "girlfriends" back then only had 'em because the girl had feelings for the guy and the guy just went along, lol.

But back up a second. If the girls were acting like women, then what were the boys acting like? THAT's where you really see what "maturity" means. While the girls acted like women, the boys acted like... BOYS!!! Think about it fellas; back then, the last thing that any of us wanted to do was: 1. be kissed or hugged; 2. initiate the kissing or the hugging; 3. use formal communication; 4. care about anybody; 5. sit still and pay attention; 6. talk; 7. make sense; 8. build relationships. Yo, if I remember correctly, all we wanted to do as boys was GO AS WILD AS POSSIBLE! Matter of fact, if I remember correctly, the reason we couldn't stand girls because they were always trying to "tie us down" into some formal game,lol.

...I guess that might be a test of your boyhood right there, but that's another day's topic.

All this being said though... I think there's something to be said for the boys; yes, girls are more mature, but what we don't realize is that maturity isn't everything. There may be no more raw of an individual on this earth than the young boy. This isn't a diss to girls at all; little girls are beautiful and this world wouldn't be worth it without 'em. But little boys at their best are a force to be reckoned with: the perfect blend of selfishness, brotherhood, lack of restraint, and accomplishment. If the men of the world had the hearts of boys, I believe the face of this earth would be one of two things: brighter than the sun with unrestricted progress, or littered with craters from the ultimate power struggle. Either way, aliens would gaze upon the earth with awe and fear, lol.

BUT, here comes the full circle... All due respect to the boys, but one cannot underestimate the power of a real man. You see, on one hand love does cause a man to be tender. But, tenderness is one of the true great strengths of the world. The greatest challenge for a strong man is to keep his power under control; it's easy to let power run wild as boys do, but to harness your strength and cradle a child in your arms, kiss your wife on the cheek, work unsatisfying jobs to support a household...

And make no mistake; love softens, but at the right time, love can multiply a man's strength infinitely. No, people may not see a man's strength readily displayed all the time. But let danger approach a man's beloved family... That's a force that the rawest, most ruthless boy in the world should fear. Because, when a man loves, whatever he loves becomes a vital organ of his own self; in his mind, he cannot afford to lose his own extension, no matter what it takes. That's the difference between a man and a boy: a boy's identity is in himself; a man's identity is in those he loves AS WELL as himself.

BUT, as long as a boy is a boy, he should enjoy his boyhood. It's a special time unlike any other. I miss the days when my heart was some amorphous thing that floated freely within me. But now that I know where it is and I've shared it, I see my boyhood drifting further and further away.

BUT, I'm not attached just yet! Oh, you can kiss me, but ya gotta catch me first... ;-)

SLAM!!! B-J