Fighting for Fatherhood
“How do you wanna live? As a decent person? Good husband? Is that it? Good? Of course not. King of the hill? Better. Top of your game? Win. All-powerful. Like a boss. Like a pro.” “GMC wonders how you want to live your life. It challenges the idea of simply being a decent person or good husband and suggests you aim to be undeniable and all-powerful — live like a boss.” This commercial made me shudder to the core.
Growing up without a father in my life dictated the way that I experienced the world for many years. I felt abandoned, afraid, alone, and angry. Without a guide to show me how to manage my emotions or my desires for love, I found myself giving in to what the culture taught me about happiness. Over the course of the last few years, I have achieved immense amounts of healing from the old wounds but watching this commercial actually felt like someone had taken me back ten years and all of the sudden I was a thirteen year old boy again; angry and unable to process any emotion properly. I was once more the kid who didn’t know how to fix the tire on his bike, the high school senior on his way to prom unable to tie his own tie, and the young man who did not know how to properly love his girlfriend. As I sat in the laundromat where this commercial had just been broadcasted, I didn’t know how to react to what I had heard and the flood of emotions.
Our culture truly believes that it is not enough for a man to be a good husband, as if being a good husband could not possibly be fulfilling for a man. “All-powerful.” “Like a boss.” “Like a pro.” In the eyes of our world a man is fulfilled when he has obtained power, prestige, and the envy of his fellow man. Pride all of the sudden becomes the all consuming drive for a man instead of what he has truly been called to; sacrifice. “There is a need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that crusade is a matter for you.” Enough is enough. We need to stop acting like it’s okay to stand and watch while our families suffer the lack of fatherhood. Being a good husband, a good father, a good friend, a good co-worker or teammate, and a son of God is not a sign of weakness but instead the testimony of true strength and real purpose.
