Men's Health: Understanding and Caring for Men Promotes Social Progress – On Men's Health Day
Men's Health: Understanding and Caring for Men Promotes Social Progress
Lu Yongjian
Do you know why your son gets angry for no apparent reason? Do you understand your husband's health? Do growing and adult men understand their own characteristics? As "Men's Health Day" approaches, people calm down amidst the lively discussions about men: people's understanding of men is superficial, and men themselves are also somewhat ignorant. Caring for men as much as caring for women is a good thing, a sign of social progress, but it must begin with understanding men.
After reading James Dobson's book, *Raising Boys*, Zhang Xiaoyuan, a member of the All-China Women's Federation, told her 14-year-old son: "Do you know why you've been so irritable and easily angered lately? It's because you're going through puberty, and your testosterone levels are increasing rapidly, up to 15 times that of women. The ages of 13 to 15 are a crucial period of transition from boy to man, like a turbulent river. Your father and I will help you navigate this period and help you grow into a responsible man."
Other adults, seeing their obedient sons and good students suddenly transform into unpredictable and defiant troublemakers, resort to scolding and discipline to prevent them from doing their homework. This often backfires, sometimes even leading to tragedies like boys killing their parents. This is directly related to a lack of understanding of the physiological and psychological characteristics of men, especially adolescent boys. Moral education for boys is crucial, but it must be based on a thorough understanding of the differences between boys and girls, and the physiological and psychological characteristics of adolescent boys, to be effective.
October 28, 2004, marked my country's fifth National Men's Health Day. Men's health, based on male reproductive health, encompasses the psychological, physiological, mental, and social well-being of men, affecting all aspects of their lives. However, surveys indicate that if adult men navigate adolescence or even marriage and career development in a haphazard manner, it doesn't mean they can automatically become healthy and happy men.
A report in the *Modern Express* published data from a survey on "Male Reproductive Health," revealing that 40% of men lack basic knowledge about male reproduction. Xinhua News Agency reported that only a very small number of adults have studied and learned about many aspects of male and female anatomy, menstrual cycles, reproductive organ function, hygiene, safe contraception, and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. It seems that adults must seize this opportunity to catch up on hygiene education, which was previously considered optional.
As "Men's Health Day" approaches, urban media outlets have exposed some despicable fraudulent sex clinics, while some pharmacies are enthusiastically promoting public welfare activities for men's health consultations. Regardless of the credibility and competence of these businesses and hospitals, as individuals with vastly different backgrounds, it is essential to learn and acquire basic knowledge of male physiology and psychology, and to be aware of one's own physical and mental state. In contemporary society, a man who is ignorant of computers and the internet is considered outdated; a scientific and comprehensive understanding of one's own body and mind is even more fashionable.
In the quietly emerging mental health clinics, teenagers and women are the majority of patients, while adult men are rarely seen. This does not indicate that men experience less pressure or fewer worries in social competition. The life expectancy gap between men and women worldwide was only one year at the beginning of the 20th century, but now it has widened to five years less for men; among 15 major diseases, men die more often than women. This is related to men's excessive pride and tendency to internalize negative emotions, as well as increased competition for survival in modern society and men's insufficient awareness of health. This shows that caring for men, based on understanding them, is just as important as caring for women. Caring for men is a responsibility of the whole society.
Understanding men fosters care for men. Care for men, in turn, fosters care for women. Within a family, mutual understanding and care among members inevitably promote harmony and happiness. In an atmosphere of mutual understanding and care, Chinese society will undoubtedly become more progressive, harmonious, and prosperous.
Excerpted from Xinhua Net