Men and Power; What happened to integrity?

Where is our integrity? It seems we have regressed in this country to boys and girls fighting on the third grade playground. And there are no good role models on this playground.

It is time to grow up.

What we are seeing in politics is not just the blatant misuse of power by a male figure who is at risk of obtaining even more power, but a gross abuse of that power.

A man who has visibility, platform and an audience (that follows him blindly) has a responsibility; he is a power of example to all men, boys and even women.

A man who is immature and who abuses that power is living out a limited season and he is bound to fall.

Because real men; strong men, sexy men? They use their power, not to abuse and control women, but, to empower women. They dont call women names or try to silence them. Real men dont use their power to shut women down.

What does it mean for a man to truly empower a woman?

It means empowering them to find their voice. Respecting what they have to say and not accusing them of lying when they speak up about being abused.

Empowering women means supporting them in their right to vote, a right they have already fought for, and making that right accessible, without demeaning it by taking away the constitutional transparency and blaming the system, spreading fear, creating a rumor of a potentially rigged system when he might be afraid of losing to a girl.

Empowering women means protecting them and their children, and giving them shelter when they are running from a dangerous and threatening war in their homeland. And if they have spent weeks or months trying to get to shelter, it means remembering we are a country that has promised to take in tired, poor and those unable to protect themselves, not building a wall to shut them out.

Empowering women means reminding them that they are safe. The power of male privilege should protect women from bullying and create a safe place for them to raise their children, they should not have to worry about being grabbed, drugged, attacked, called names, or raped.

Real men protect and help women grow, they support them in finding their voice, and they nurture and support their children. They do not use their power to abuse.

And these men, real men, are recognizable. You see them married to and supporting strong women. You will see those women respecting their husbands and partners. These mutually empowering marriages and partnerships will create new energy in the world. These couples will be the originators, the birthplaces, the think tanks, the factories of new ideas. They are the beginning of the spark of a new vision for our country.

This couple, this new monogamy, where men and women are equal and mutually empowering, is our best hope to invigorate our country. These are integrated men and women. This vision of equal relationships is based on integrity, equality, and mutual respect.

These partnerships are a microcosm for what we can create, together, in the world. When men use their power to empower, and women find their voice, we can create sustainable relationships.

it is time for the good men in this country to use their power to heal, not to hurt.

And it is time for women everywhere to rise up. We will not be quiet. We will not be silenced with shame.

It is time for all of us to move our relationships to the next level. It is time grow up.