When someone is said to "take it on the chin" it usually means that they have done something and are standing up boldly to take the consequences. A just punishment, so to speak.
This is something that a real man does. He will always face what he has done and receive what he deserves. Ideally, he won't have done anything intentionally wrong though!
I want to raise another side of this idea. How about taking it on the chin for things that you know that you aren't responsible for? Husbands will know what this is like. Sometimes you may need to take a deep breath and then let it out before taking it on the chin. Why would anyone do such a thing? How about to support others through a situation in which they can't manage by themselves? Kids crash the car and you have to pay to get it fixed or they can't get to school/work?
How about being in the same room when something important gets broken and you are blamed in the heat of the moment? Later, when the blamer *cough*wife*cough* realises that they were mistaken, you might get an apology and be thanked for not escalating the situation. You might not get an apology though, but doing what is right is often more important than everyone knowing that you didn't really do anything wrong. Everyone who matters will know in any case.
Manliness is clearly much deeper than just reacting emotionally.
So how else are men called to "take it on the chin" in this alternative sense? And how can we remain positive through the effort?
No comments:
Post a Comment