Workshops » The Meaning of Being Male

The Meaning of Being Male

The experience of learning about oneself and other men while searching and laughing together can bring tremendous healing in the midst of uncertainty and isolation.

Men seldom have opportunities to talk with other men, about what it means to be a man. There are many biases and prejudices about men in sports, work, play, family, parenting, sex, and on and on. Few people know what men think and feel at the core of their being, which is often very different from what they display.

In these workshops, men are able to share their deepest thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and aspirations. The topics each person will explore, as he discovers the meaning of his own manhood, are his:

	body (often seen as a machine)
	emotions
	sexuality
	relationships
	family (both his family of learning and the family he creates)
	approaches to conflict, vocation, and spirituality

This topic has been held as a daylong seminar for men, but can be presented in various formats for men and/or for women. Many women have learned the same myths about men that men have been taught about themselves, so women may not know what men are really like.

Feedback has been that women got as much out of the presentations as the men. When the topic is offered to women or in a mixed group, it provides an opportunity to bridge the gender gap.

Jay Uhler has played most sports. He worked as a laborer in a steel mill, did quality control work in a brickyard, has worked as an executive, and consulted with corporate executives. He has dated, been married, divorced, is the father of three children. He has raised money for needy children riding miles on his bicycle. He sang in quartets and directed an all men's Barbershop chorus. Jay is an industrial and clinical psychologist. In all these settings, Jay has come to know and understand men, their frustrations and their needs.