article by George Cappannelli

The Chinese character for crisis is also the symbol for opportunity. As men, I believe we have the crisis part down pat. We’ve demonstrated that for centuries. But I think we are on the verge of blowing one of the truly great opportunities in history. That’s why I believe it’s time for us to come out from behind the roles and rules that have encrusted and restricted us for so long. It’s time to step out from the shadows where our own indifference and about 40 years of criticism by members of the female tribe have driven us. It’s time to reclaim our rights, celebrate our unique gifts, and utilize our incredible skills to design and implement a new quality of life — one that does not seek to reverse the gains made by women, or to substitute new imbalances for some of the abuses and excesses that have arisen in this new politically correct “Era of the Dame.”

Yes, it’s time, for us to stand up again, not in arrogance but as human beings, and most particularly as the powerful, moral and spiritual force that we are. Time to demonstrate a sane, sustainable, humane way of living that is in harmony with the natural forces of the earth.

Not an easy task, is it? Perhaps some of you are not even convinced that it is necessary or desirable. And yet I can’t imagine that many of us really want to defend or extend the kind of insanity we call life in the modern world. Overstressed, overworked, obsessed with financial stability, awash in material comfort and toys—but confused about values, struggling to find meaning, and generally adrift in a sea of rapidly shifting gender paradigms. It’s no picnic, is it?

And who could have predicted it? When those first brave, strident women raised their voices and burned their bras, who could have imagined they’d turn the world upside down?

Apparently it was time to put an end to the somewhat lopsided deal we had been running for centuries. Of course, most revolutions go too far, and that’s true in this case as well. Not all of the changes set in motion have turned out for the best. Nor was the whole story told. Yes, we were guilty — as charged — of repression and unjustified cruelty, of ignorance and insensitivity. We were responsible for creating and maintaining systems that subjugated women; denied them the right to vote and own property, refused them education, and banished their voices from the counsels of governance. Yes, we treated them as property and in some cases still do. So clearly change was long overdue.

Still, it is also true that some of the changes have gone too far. The blaming of men for everything has become endemic and destructive. The stereotyping has been reversed and is equally demeaning. The political correctness is often restrictive, retarding and soulless. And some of the laws passed to redress abuses are sometimes equally abusive.

So what’s my point? That we have to speak up and show up! Before the game becomes just another version of Pin The Tail On The Donkey. We have to get back into active, heartfelt and honest conversation about what life is supposed to be, even if that means dragging some of those politically incorrect questions about roles, rules and responsibilities for both genders, out of the closet and into the light. We have to learn how to model a new kind of behavior that celebrates what it is to be a man, honors what it is to be a woman, and challenges the foundations of both definitions.

It’s time for us to lead the way in reducing and eliminating injustice, inequality and limitation, not only on both sides of the gender divide, but wherever it is found in our world. Time to build bridges of understanding, empathy, and respect between all members of the “human tribe,” and then to create new socio-economic and political structures that sustain this harmony. Yes, it’s time, Brother, long overdue time, for us to remember what is truly possible to accomplish in this intricate and absolutely miraculous experience called life.
It’s time. Brother! Is it ever time!

George Cappannelli is one of the county’s top business consultants and executive coaches. He is the CEO of The Information & Training Company, a business consulting and training organization he founded 15 years ago. His clients include a number of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and national associations. George is also a writer, whose new book “Say Yes To Change,” which he co-wrote with his wife, Sedena, is part of a new empowerment series. Visit: www.sayyestochange.com He is a working on a new novel entitled “Old Stones & Promises,” and a play, “Coxman, A Celebration of Being Male.” He is also an award winning sculptor whose works in stone, wood, and bronze, are in a number of public and private collections, and an Emmy Award winning director of television, film and theater. To contact him email: infoco1@aol.com