Men don鈥檛 cry; men don鈥檛 need to work out their feelings; men aren鈥檛 held accountable for their actions. These are the types of societal myths that keep men from sharing their inner struggles with each other and often even their life partners, according to Squamish鈥檚 Ross Tayler.聽
鈥淚 have encountered men who would rather die than share what is going on for them with their wives,鈥� Tayler said.聽
鈥淎s a culture, we have this stereotype of what a man is and I think it is this almost unconscious, 鈥業 am a provider, I must do certain things, and I can鈥檛 have emotions and I can鈥檛 be this.鈥� We have kind of lost a sense of ourselves as everything has shifted and changed in the world.鈥澛�
Tayler is looking to revitalize the 麻豆社国产Sharing Circle for Men he founded in March of 2014, but that group has stopped meeting because the group couldn鈥檛 find a consistent and neutral place to meet in the district.聽
When men come together and can share, Tayler said, it is a transformative experience.
聽鈥淩eally it is quite a magical experience because when you come together with other men, just to share, there鈥檚 things that happen that aren鈥檛 really explained,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淲hat we supply is a consistent agenda that creates a space for sharing. That sharing is not really of a therapeutic nature, it is really just about sharing with other men and doing 鈥榤en鈥檚 work,鈥� having a safe place to talk about those things that need to be talked about.鈥澛�
He started the group because he wanted to be a part of a sharing circle.聽
Tayler said he was having personal struggles and was driving on Vancouver Island in Sept 2012 when he saw a sign about a men鈥檚 circle meeting. He drove to the library and started researching men鈥檚 sharing circles. He attended his first meeting on the island a few months later.
鈥淭he bottom line for me is about becoming accountable for my actions in the world and having a dialogue around that,鈥� he said.聽
For some men, it is entirely new to share their feelings, Tayler said.聽
鈥淣ot just new, but really freaking hard,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淪ure, guys come together and they connect through sports and they connect through common interests, but we don鈥檛 talk about feelings, we don鈥檛 talk about the struggles that we are having.鈥澛�
For more information on the group go to www.squamishmen.org or call Tayler at 778-266-0100.聽
