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I ran into an article on the Art of Manliness about young men struggling with the transition from boy to man. The title of the post was “Want to Feel Like a Man? Then Act Like One“. The post highlighted some of the issues that have led to this difficulty in transition such as – lack of a right of passage and positive male mentors, a faulty definition of manhood, and sociological and economic shifts. I always go back to a statement that was always told to me as a child “Real men don’t cry”. There was an African definition of manhood that I feel to some extent has been lost to us, in my generation, making me kinda agree with the post on some matters.

In a recent discussion with an acquittance on Twitter, we settled on an agreement that society has relaxed on or to some extent lost it’s sense of responsibility for impacting values and principles into the young generation.

In times not far back it was the responsibility of the society to discipline a child. I remember once receiving a communal beating with my friends from the mothers in our estate. I might laugh about it now but the values that were instilled me during that time have remained with me to date.

I am a really big advocate for the return of mentor-ship to our young men that used to be done as we transitioned from adolescent to adulthood. You would sit with your uncles and be taught on your role as a man in society. What happened to such occasions?

There is need to create systems to assist young men in the transition to being responsible citizens in society. We should have established men (and even women) in society take some youth under their wing wither via their own initiative or programs in place. I recently read that the government is considering re-introducing NYS (National Youth Service). I am still on the fence as to how this shall impact and influence the current youth generation but I believe it could be used as an important tool to shaping values and principles within them.