I learned to hide the soft, gentle, sensitive person that I truly am and hid it with an exterior of toughness, uncaring, and being cool. I was often scared of someone finding the gentle, sensitive part of myself. The more I acted tough and cool the more my belief changed of myself. However, this is when I became really lost. For I had acted tough and cool for so long including committing crimes and getting into fights, that the essence of who I truly am got buried under a lot of layers of muck.
Most people wear a mask, presenting themselves as better than what they actually are.
Than there are those like myself who wear an ugly mask in order to keep people away. There is a lost sense of masculinity in society today. In the healthiest of relationships, men are confused of how to behave with women and with other men. The healthiest of men are struggling with their identity as a man. When there has been a history of abuse this struggle for identity becomes a far more difficult struggle.