The Shame of Wanting to Be Respected
It didn’t used to be shameful to want respect. It was expected. Taught. Modeled. Earning a reputation was part of becoming a man. You worked for it. You protected it. You lived in such a way that your name meant something when people said it.
But somewhere along the way, men were told that if they desired respect, they must be chasing power. That to want recognition meant you were compensating. That a man asking to be valued must secretly be weak.