It must’ve been about ten years ago:
I stepped into a workshop about men and women.
I didn’t really like the idea to be honest,
but I think someone recommended it to me. So well, ok…

A few hundred men and women were gathered in a big hall.
Men to the left, women to the right.
On stage, there were a man and a woman,
guiding the men and the women respectively.

Women friends

Up until now I had been mostly interested in hanging out with women.
Both for friendship and for love.
Men didn’t really interest me.

Either I didn’t feel a connection, or there was some kind of
uncomfortable rivalry that I wanted to get away from.
I felt much more comfortable around women.
I could talk with them, cuddle, make love. What else did I need?

The Shift

Up until that moment.
Being in this workshop, something started to change.
I felt a strong sense of brotherhood with the men around me,
as we were hugging, wrestling, brawling together.

The women didn’t seem to really “get” us, but what did we care?
We were amongst brothers!

I realized that I had been missing this all of my life,
without even knowing it.
The relationship with my brother and father had always been,
well, complicated…

I never really felt comfortable connecting to other men.
As if powergames needed to be part of that relationship.

Brotherhood

For the first time in my life I realized: These other men are my brothers!
And from then on, this realization stayed with me.
What I know now, is that we are part of a big brotherhood.

Do you feel the significance of that?
Whereas many of us have been taught to see other men as rivals,
we now have the opportunity to see each other as kin.

I had been looking for love in women
because I lacked this sense of brotherhood with men.
Something profound was missing.

We’ve got each other’s back

In my life right now, I am surrounded by men
who have my best interest in mind.
There’s a mutual intention to inspire and uplift.
We want the very best for one another.

Whenever I lead a men’s group, I know:
At the end I will regard you as my brothers.

It means you can count on me.
I’ve got your back. You have my support.
I care about you, and about you living your truth.

This is what I’ve received from my own men’s group.
We have this saying:”By yourself, but never alone”
That’s what I learned from brotherhood.
It’s powerful.

Stay connected

If you want to have that kind of connection
and support in your life too, I invite you to stay in touch.
We aim to build a greater community of brothers
with our workshops, courses and events.

I suggest coming to one of our Meetups
or joining Foundations of Presence.
Here we lay the groundwork for this awareness
to permeate your life and living.

And I can tell you, it’s way better than
figuring things out, alone,  in your man cave.
The time of the lone wolf is over.
Welcome to the brotherhood.

Over to you

I’m eager to know how you experience brotherhood
in your own life, and what it means to you.
Let me know in the comments!

Roald