My wife sent me the story My Cousin Was My Hero. Until the Day He Tried to Kill Me. from Wil S. Hylton to listen to. It’s pretty intense. Ultimately it’s a story about masculinity and how it plays out in two different men.
Part of the ending:
The Pantheon of Male Tropes… Masculinity is a religion. It’s a compendium of saints. The vaunted patriarch. The taciturn cowboy. The errant knight. The reluctant hero. Gentle giant. And omniscient father.
It reminds me of a random comment-and-reply I saw on Reddit the other day. Someone posted about their dad and pandemic times, saying that he’s been a rock since the 70’s, but has started to admit he is depressed. Someone responded saying that all dads who have been a total rock since the 70’s are depressed.