The Resilience of a Man

 Okay, forgive me for being parasocial. I'm watching jasontheween's prom night stream and the vibes are absolutely off. Before, Jason and his date Sakura got matching nail designs -- with Sakura having a "J" drawn on her nails. But later on in the night, Sakura half jokingly tells him that the "J" isn't for him but for his cameraman Jawhn. Jason asks her to take it back. She doesn't. The vibes immediately fall off. The car ride back is awkward as hell. It's obvious Jason wants to say something and Sakura's talking just to talk. 

When they get back, Jason's friends are all telling him to keep shooting his shot and don't take the joke too seriously. But Jason's never had something like this happen to him so publicly. Yea, he's been "lil bro'd" before, but not to the extent of being in such a cuck position. It's absolutely infuriating to be put in that position. His friends are correct to say that he should take it in stride and to not take her too seriously. But because he's never experienced these things before, he doesn't know how to handle it. He's young. He needs to crash out at least once to feel the feelings, to know the highs and lows, to understand his reactions and control them. 

I think all men need to build resilience by facing rejection. Learning to have thicker skin is a part of being a man. Learning not to be too miserly, not too close-fisted. Patience and slowness to anger are virtues that can be cultivated. That's what separates us from a hot-headed boy whose words create a storm around him. 

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