For the documentary "The Mask You Live In," a scene shows a U.S. school teacher giving a group of high school boys a circular piece of paper. On one side they write what their image is, and on the other what they are feeling. Then they scrunch up the paper and throw it to another kid. Here's how researcher Dr. Philip Zimbardo summarized the boys' messages: "What they said was all the same. On the outside it said: 'Tough. Fearless. Kick your ass.' And on the inside: 'Lonely. Sad. Got no friends.' Each boy was stunned that the others felt the same way."
Possible Preaching Angles: This certainly applies to boys and men, but in a sense it applies to all of us as we try to project an outward "I have it together" look while we struggle inwardly with insecurities. We need safe place to be real about our inner world—our fears and insecurities.
