It IS Okay to Say, ‘I Love You’


Hey bros,

What if your best and most trustworthy bro said ‘I love you’ every once in a while? Would it make you feel good to hear it? Of course.

Some of us find it much harder to express our feelings than do others, and having grown up male automatically makes it a little bit harder still, both culturally and biologically. (Don’t forget, the male brain is different in some significant ways.) The good news is that everybody learns early on that there are many more kinds of love than just the romantic and the parental kinds. It can be hard to make the distinction at first, because our culture glorifies romance, marriage, and passionate sex to the point where the concept of “love” is practically swallowed up by the trappings of romance. Obviously, love can and does go way beyond that narrow context. Regular companionship, quiet conversation after the day’s events, offering encouragement when times are difficult: these are some of the elements that genuine love needs. We, as human beings, need them, too.

So if you can’t bring yourself to just say “I love you, dude” to your friend, start smaller and be more specific. Say something like “I love your jump shot,” or, “I love how you’re so cool about being my wing man.” You get the idea.

Good luck. I love you guys.

Later,
-The Blog Dude

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