New Delhi: Just a day after the world celebrated International Men's Day, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar took to microblogging site twitter and shared a heartfelt note with the title 'To the men of today and tomorrow'. The note narrates an incident where he went against the norm of 'men should not cry' and broke into tears in the cricket field.
The Master Blaster said that he was not laughed at when he shed tears in the field but got a lot of support from the audience. He mentioned that he was wrong to follow the stereotypes and going against the norm made him emerge even stronger.
The post was shared with the hashtag 'ShavingStereotype'.
To the Men of Today, and Tomorrow.#ShavingStereotypes pic.twitter.com/rZxbKJ7c4J
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 20, 2019
This is what the Iconic batsman says:
To the men of today, and tomorrow
''You'll soon be fathers and husbands. Brothers and friends. Mentors and teachers. You're going to lead by example. You're going to be courageous and strong. Brave and resilient. And you will also face fear, doubts and experience great tribulations. Undoubtedly, there will be times when you fail, and you will feel like crying and letting it all out.
But sure enough, you'll hold back the tears and pretend to be tough. Because that's what men do. Because that's what we are brought up to believe - that men are not supposed to cry. That crying makes a man weak. I grew up believing this. And the reason I'm writing to you today is that I realized that I was wrong. My struggles and toy pain made me who I am, shaping me into a better man.
16/11/2013. I still remember that day on the field. I had thought about it for a long time but nothing could prepare me for that last walk back to the pavilion. With each step, it started sinking in. I felt a lump in my throat, the fear of it all ending. There was so much going through toy head in that moment. I just couldn't keep it in. And I didn't fight it. I let go in front of the world, and surprisingly, I felt a certain peace. I felt stronger for putting myself out there and grateful for everything that I had received. I realized I was man enough.
There's no shame in showing your tears. So why hide a part of you that actually makes you stronger? Why hide your tears? It takes a lot of courage to show your pain and your vulnerability. But just as sure as the morning, you'll emerge from it tougher and better. So I encourage you to move past these stereotypes and notions of what men can or cannot do. Whoever you are, wherever you are, I wish you this courage. ''
