Junias VH Shipwilikineni
The world is crying softly, almost silently, but the pain is real. Each day, we are losing men to a hidden battle, one that rarely makes the headlines: suicide. Fathers, sons, brothers, and friends are disappearing, not because of war or disease, but because of the weight they carry in silence.
These are not loud exits. These are quiet tragedies, unfolding in bedrooms, bathrooms, cars, and workplaces. Their wounds don’t bleed, but they are deep. And too often, they are fatal.
From boyhood, males are taught to suppress emotion. They are told to “man up,” not to cry or show fear or vulnerability. Society rewards toughness, control, and stoicism in men, but punishes emotional honesty. As a result, men grow up believing that to be emotional is to be weak. So, they lock away their pain, hide their struggles, and wear a mask that says, “I’m fine,” even when they are not. But strength is not the absence of emotion. True strength lies in being able to face it, speak it, and survive it.
We must challenge the narrative that men don’t need help. Because they do. The smiling father at the dinner table might be battling depression. The quiet friend at work might be on the edge. The seemingly strong man who carries everyone’s burdens might have no one to carry his. These are not rare exceptions. This is the hidden face of modern masculinity, a mask worn to survive in a world that rarely asks how men are really doing.
We cannot wait until it’s too late. It’s time to encourage men to open up, to talk, to feel without shame. They need to be reminded that it’s okay not to be okay. That asking for help is not weakness, it’s wisdom. That real men do cry, and real men do break, but real men can also heal. They deserve to be heard, seen, and supported.
Let’s raise our boys differently. Teach them emotional intelligence. Show them that vulnerability is human. Let them know that they don’t have to carry everything alone. At home, in schools, in communities, let’s create safe spaces where men can speak without fear of judgment. Let’s normalise therapy, emotional check-ins, and supportive brotherhoods. Sometimes, a simple conversation can save a life.
This world is becoming a dangerous place for men not just because of violence or stress, but because of silence. Silence is stealing our fathers, our husbands, our brothers. It is time we stop expecting men to carry the world and suffer quietly under the weight. They are not just providers or protectors, they are human beings with hearts, thoughts, and emotional needs. They matter. Their lives matter.
We must care enough to ask, to listen, and to stay present. Because not all wounds bleed. And the ones we can’t see are often the ones that need the most attention. Let’s not wait until we lose another good man to realise how badly he needed someone to simply hear him.
*Junias VH Shipwilikineni is a student at the International University of Management (IUM).
