More

An instructor telling a student ‘It’s OK to cry’ is going viral for all the right reasons.

"That's what this is about, son."

An instructor telling a student ‘It’s OK to cry’ is going viral for all the right reasons.

Boys don't cry.

You've heard it time and time again — from Hollywood, musicians, and probably a family member or two.

The thing is, it's complete bull. And instructor Jason Wilson knows it.

Wilson is the founder of the Cave of Adullam, a faith-based group in Detroit that teaches young men a practice called Musar Ru. It combines various martial arts and meditation to help boys gain control over their emotions in a positive way.

GIF via the Cave of Adullam/YouTube.

During an especially charged training session, 9-year-old Bruce was brought to tears as he struggled to break a piece of wood with his hand.

The organization decided to share a video of the session online "to encourage all of you to not only allow your sons to cry when facing emotional stress, but more importantly, patiently walk them through it."

Wilson's heartwarming handling of Bruce's tears has struck a chord with those watching at home.

The video has racked up nearly a million views since it was posted on July 26, 2016:

“You know in life there’s going to be things harder to do than other things?" Wilson asks Bruce, coaching him through his emotions and reminding him that challenges are, at times, "going to take tears."

It's crucial that boys and men get better at understanding their thoughts and feelings, and expressing them in a healthy way.

Why? "It's true freedom," Wilson explained to Upworthy.

"What we are witnessing is a generation of boys who were fathered by men who were given by their fathers a false sense of masculinity," he said. "It's imperative that we, the men and fathers of this generation, do not allow our boys to grow up the way many of us did."

Unfortunately, not all of society has caught up with Wilson's way of teaching.

Far too often, men aren't encouraged to express themselves — or, even worse, they're taught to actively suppress any urge to open up. Research suggests "it is culture rather than nature" that supports this harmful habit.

So why aren't we doing more to tell boys they can cry?

It's refreshing to see Wilson encourage Bruce to act "like a man" and have the courage to shed a tear — especially seeing as acting "like a man" usually implies pretending you're void of feelings.

Fortunately, Bruce was able to take a few deep breaths, digest what Wilson taught him, and carry on like a champ.

And — the icing on the cake — he ends up totally showing that piece of wood who's boss.

GIF via the Cave of Adullam/YouTube.

Most Shared

The very real story of how one woman prevented a national tragedy by doing her job.

Frances Oldham Kelsey believed thorough research saves lives. She was so right.

True
Seventh Generation

This story originally appeared on 05.20.16


Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey had only been with the Food and Drug Administration for about a month when she was tasked with reviewing a drug named thalidomide for distribution in America.

Marketed as a sedative for pregnant women, thalidomide was already available in Canada, Germany, and several African countries. It could have been a very simple approval. But for Kelsey, something didn't sit right. There were no tests showing thalidomide was safe for human use, particularly during pregnancy.

Keep Reading Show less
Most Shared

The very real story of how one woman prevented a national tragedy by doing her job.

Frances Oldham Kelsey believed thorough research saves lives. She was so right.

True
Seventh Generation

This story originally appeared on 05.20.16


Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey had only been with the Food and Drug Administration for about a month when she was tasked with reviewing a drug named thalidomide for distribution in America.

Marketed as a sedative for pregnant women, thalidomide was already available in Canada, Germany, and several African countries. It could have been a very simple approval. But for Kelsey, something didn't sit right. There were no tests showing thalidomide was safe for human use, particularly during pregnancy.

Keep Reading Show less
Badge
Tory Burch
Tory Burch Empowered Women
Empowered Women

This woman used creative writing as a refuge while growing up in the midst of a violent drug war. And now she's fostering a love for LatinX poetry.

True

Davina Agudelo was born in Miami, Florida, but she grew up in Medellín, Colombia.

"I am so grateful for my upbringing in Colombia, surrounded by mountains and mango trees, and for my Colombian family," Agudelo says. "Colombia is the place where I learned what's truly essential in life." It's also where she found her passion for the arts.

While she was growing up, Colombia was going through a violent drug war, and Agudelo turned to literature, theater, singing, and creative writing as a refuge. "Journaling became a sacred practice, where I could leave on the page my dreams & longings as well as my joy and sadness," she says. "During those years, poetry came to me naturally. My grandfather was a poet and though I never met him, maybe there is a little bit of his love for poetry within me."

In 1998, when she left her home and everyone she loved and moved to California, the arts continued to be her solace and comfort. She got her bachelor's degree in theater arts before getting certified in journalism at UCLA. It was there she realized the need to create a media platform that highlighted the positive contributions of LatinX in the US.

"I know the power that storytelling and writing our own stories have and how creative writing can aid us in our own transformation."

In 2012, she started Alegría Magazine and it was a great success. Later, she refurbished a van into a mobile bookstore to celebrate Latin American and LatinX indie authors and poets, while also encouraging children's reading and writing in low-income communities across Southern California.

Keep Reading Show less
empowered women
Trending Stories