Why We Should Care About Eradicating #MeToo

Sexual Assault is any type of sexual activity or contact - physical, verbal, or visual - that you do not consent to.

We can all agree that we want better.

We want more – for ourselves, for our loved ones, and for others.

So why has that sentiment been twisted to mean that I want more for myself no matter what I have to do to get it – whether it hurts another or not?

Why are we so desensitized to the effects of our actions on others and the world around us?

And why can’t our desire to want more be a win-win-win situation for all directly and indirectly involved?

Here are 3 solid reasons why we should work to do away with the #MeToo movement in our lifetime…

A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR GIRLS

So our children don’t have to suffer and struggle with healing from the pain, shame, and trauma of also experiencing #MeToo moments in their precious lives.

Let’s first consider the stats:

• Of all victims under the age of 18, two out of three are ages 12-17.

• 82% of all sexual assault victims are female.

• About 4 times more likely to develop symptoms of drug abuse.

• About 4 times more likely to experience PTSD as adults.

• About 3 times more likely to experience a major depressive episode as adults

src: Rainn.org

Knowing this, doesn’t it just make you want to package and preserve their purity and innocence?

Protect them for all it’s worth?

For the cost of not protecting our girls is far too great for one to bear.

We are entrusted to nurture and embolden our girls’ spirits so that they are confident, determined, fearless, and prepared to take this world head-on, face-up, with arms wide open.

When we decide to show up – putting our stuff (and phones!) aside, miracles happen – connections ensue and strengthen, bonds form and are enlivened, and love grows and grows.

For when we invest in our future leaders – the keepers of generations to come (literally), we leave a powerful legacy of love, reverence and undeniable strength to lead and guide others behind.

A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR BOYS

So we can work towards a world that nurtures the sensitivity in boys and fosters a healthy sense of masculinity within them.

We live in a society that does not reward sensitivity and emotions in boys.

In fact, it bullies, rejects, and shames them.

So how does the suppression of those traits show up in our society?

Through violence, anger, suicide, homicide, abuse, depression, addiction, etc.

When boys are taught not to value their feelings, do not know how to process them in a healthy way, and suffer from fear of sharing them with others, we wind up with a world full of unexpressed, angry, fearful boys who later grow up to be perpetrators of violence, sexism, misogyny, crime, etc.

Honoring boys’ feelings, allowing them to honor their own feelings, and providing a safe space for those feelings to play out is a good starting point.

From there, we need male role models who showcase their masculinity in a healthy way – in media, in schools, in businesses, in all facets of society.

We need male mentors who are committed, dedicated, and invested in walking alongside our young boys from grade school through college.

We need men to show up as devoted fathers in their sons’ lives every single day.

We need patriarchal systems to radically shift, transform, and embrace the gifts, talents, and skills that all genders exhibit providing for a more complete and holistic balanced system that thrives on collaboration, compassion, and progress for the sake of all.

We need boys to grow up to be compassionate, endearing, and emotionally intelligent whole men.

And as a society, we need to meet our boys where they’re at, help them take off their masks of “masculinity,” and raise them to be strong, sweet, and exemplary.

A BETTER LIFE FOR OURSELVES AND OTHERS

So we can live in a society where the only privilege is to honor the life you’re given and honor the lives of others by living a life of integrity, wholeness, and truth.

We exist and are here not because we willed ourselves to be here, but because of the blood, sweat, and tears our ancestors shed for us to inherit what we now have.

So it’s up to us to continue the legacy.

Why not choose to leave greatness behind for the future generations to inherit?

If we continue on the destructive path that we’re on, our only legacy is one of continued loss, pain, and suffering.

We’ve got to do better.

We have to live to heal all this pain, suffering and trauma NOW.

We have to live to stop it from continuing.

We have to face our demons, forgive our perpetrators, and restore our true selves.

By continuing to live in this pain and suffering, we are only thinking of ourselves. It is selfish and serves NO ONE.

Restore yourself and watch everything around you spring with hope, possibility, and fruitfulness.

Dare to go deep and dig up those old wounds.

For motivation, think of your legacy and what you want to leave behind when you’ve left this earth. Leave no stone unturned.

Only when you expose the darkness, will light begin to shine its brightest.

Let the light guide you, embrace you, consume you, become you.

Only when we are able to shine our light in the world without shame, guilt or fear, will the world take notice and follow our lead.

What did you read here that inspired you to do better for all of our futures?