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“Do not be ashamed of help.”
This quote was taken from Marcus Aurelius' book called Meditations and resembles the importance of understanding that it is ok to suffer, but more importantly it is ok to seek help from others.
Human beings are social animals, we all innately desire to connect and be at one with others. However, in society, it appears that we have not grown out of old habits of confiding only within ourselves and not seeking the help and guidance of others also. Doing this severely limits our capacity to develop and grow as human beings because we will often be stagnant, and unfulfilled in life.
The process of confiding in one another is seen as being weak nowadays, however, what most people don't quite understand is that it takes real courage for a person to talk about how they are truly feeling to someone. It seriously helps as well, even if that person just listens to you, sometimes the feeling of letting it out there is a real breath of fresh air and can lead you on a path to stronger recovery depending on your situation.
This really has resonated with me this week as I listened to a podcast which gave surprising evidence that males suicide rates are much higher than women in the UK and US. And this is due to the societal pressures of everyday life and the need to live up to expectation, act a certain way, and dominate everybody else to get to the top. Behaving in this way forces men to be closed off, to not seek help when they may most need it and this behaviour can really lead to disastrous consequences. I've been there and I bet the majority of men you know have all been there too. It is a lonely place and I would really advise that guys should just be themselves, and if this means that they want to talk about their feelings, or cry from time to time to a friend, this shouldn't be viewed as weak or unmanly.
Have a great rest of your week!
Background on Marcus Aurelius:
Born on April 26th 121 AD in Rome, Italy
He went on to become the Roman emperor in 161 AD and was regarded the last of the five so-called Good Emperors. He wrote the famous book on Stoicism called Meditations which wasn’t formerly meant as a book for the masses but rather just a journal for himself on how to live his life. Unbelievably years later, the lessons he used and applied in those days can still be applied to society today, and it used as a tool by many titans of industry present today. He later died in 180 AD and is celebrated as the ideal emperor.