241 thoughts on “Relating to Women as a Man”

1. “It’s so wondrous that the more I care for and love myself, the more I’m able to drop my self-protective stance and let women (and men) in.” Beautifully expressed Floris as this is not only a key for men but for women and children too, as this provides the framework for which we move, express and ultimately live a loving life. Thank you.

2. ‘We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.’ Simply beautiful! is it possible that men have forgotten to be with that fragility because equally, women have also forgotten and haven’t reflected this back as our natural way of being?

3. Love it Floris. It takes a lot of love and care to share in situations where many people think in a different way about something to share and speak up how we feel about it. The key is to live it ourselves in such a way that sharing it does not feel uncomfortable but natural and does not have to be preached but shared.

4. Yes and when we all disarm and let the guards of protection down, there is love that remains true and steady.

5. Thank you for writing this Floris, it is very healing for both men and women to feel and allow ourselves to express our natural tenderness, delicateness and love for one another.

6. “By letting in women and their many different expressions of love, and by expressing my own love and affection, I have felt more honouring and appreciation than I have ever felt in my life before.” beautifully expressed Floris. It is felt.

7. It is so important to appreciate the care and love that people do actually share, as it is this that reminds us that we are here to live and work in harmony together.

8. “By letting in women and their many different expressions of love, and by expressing my own love and affection, I have felt more honouring and appreciation than I have ever felt in my life before” – so gorgeous Floris, and I agree too it’s complete joy when both sexes express not the ideal based on gender, but instead the love they truly are.

9. Expressing the truth is always important, otherwise we could be just condoning what is not love, ‘By being silent, I’m allowing the inequality between men and women in everyday society and making my life about me, not about all of us and everything around us.’

10. “We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility” – completely Floris, and as a woman, i know that as women we’ve aided and abetted this ‘forgotten-ness’ too because we also don’t know how to be this [fragility] quality with ourselves either. Fragility in either a man or woman is the adoration of both genders.

11. I work in a sexual health and wellbeing service for young people and I can tell you that this is not only happening ‘Do I want the next generation of men to check out, harden, harass and bully just as much (or more) than I did?’ but it is getting far more disrespectful and abusive towards girls. From young women I have spoken with they are getting text messages from boys they don’t even know to say do you want to meet up and have sex in the park, asked for oral sex constantly and told to wear short skirts at parties for ‘easy access’. The list goes on and on. What I feel would be great is for more men like yourself to have conversations with the next and younger generations about relationships giving them something else to work with and relate to others that what is currently out there which is not great.

12. What you write Floris could so easily have been written by a woman. We have all become very good at protecting ourselves from being open and deeply honest about our feelings with other people, and especially the opposite sex. There has been a fear of rejection or being hurt in some way. It is so beautiful when we risk to express our real feelings, taking responsibility for who we are in full.

13. “By not sharing what I’ve learned, I shy away from responsibility.” When we connect to our bodies and express from the wisdom it shares we begin to uncover a deeper awareness of the world and a much more honest outlook on the whole. It is here we feel what is truly going on and how our expression and sharing from this truth will deepen our relationship with self and bring great responsibility to the all. This is so very important today as it could redefine what it means to be in relationships and how we in turn confirm all by our bodies own movements and expressions.

14. Thank you for an honest sharing Floris, and for showing us all that embracing our fragility and sensitivity within is not a curse but a blessing to be shared in our path of evolution.

15. Great question Floris, – ‘Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?’ I think you’ve nailed it here, and the barriers that seemingly exist between men and women are false.

16. How wonderful it is to express our truth, as a woman, man and youth and for many of us, this is healing lifetimes of holding back, suppression of our true expression and no longer allowing all that is false in the world to prosper.

17. Letting each other in, not guarding from or rebuffing each other, is the foundation of true relationship. Knowing our strength cannot be diminished by another’s choices/actions means we can approach every situation and interaction without fear or compromise. This is huge and very inspiring. Thank you, Floris.

18. These pointers are so powerful and how amazing it would be to share this with our younger generations so that what boys/men are truly feeling about women is honoured from the start.

19. When I am open to learning from others and listening to my body I am always touched by the naturalness of our connection to one another.

20. What an awesome reflection you were for your friends, bringing to them everything they too would have wanted, as naturally we all simply want to be met for who we are.

21. ‘We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.’ Again this line touches me deeply, I guess I have never allowed anyone to adore me. Only since recently I feel I am more open to receive adoration and to feel what it does in my body, it asks me to accept myself on a deeper level for the preciousness and sacredness that I am.

22. Your sensitivity and fragility is so evident in your writing Floris, thank you for your honesty, which is very lovely to be in the presence of.

23. “However, what I’m craving most is to be met, loved and cared for.”. . . .this is what we are all craving for most of all it is only our fear of being hurt that causes the divide.

24. Wow Floris this is an amazingly honest blog. Some of the points you share could be placed in parts of our life where a truth was honored. Great sharing.

25. It’s sad the barriers and obstacles that we have let in, with relationships between women and men. There are so many unspoken societal rules that keep us apart. The heavy influence of sex or romance is so toxic, it seems to me. ‘What if we spend time together or express Love? Won’t people get ideas and talk?’. These fears leave us trapped in a cage of distant politeness. What a revalation then to understand as you have Floris that we are here to hold and treasure everyone we know with the same depth of care and intimacy. To hold this back is the beginning of all the abuse that we know.

26. “We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.” And in its place we have chosen to Harden up and be the rough tough guys – the polar opposite.

    1. Totally Michael, I so loved this line Floris shared. It’s so true for many of our relationships.

27. It is beautiful to read about the way your relationships with both women and men have deepened and grown Floris.

28. It would have been wrong to not have shared this Floris – like a star not shining in the night sky! This is a reflection that can build more understanding and inspire each other to love and be loved without need for comparison.

29. What I love about what you’re saying Floris is that everything we do and how we choose to be and treat other people contributes to the world being the way it is. It’s really super simple maths – if you want to live in a world where both you and everyone are respected and treated with decency and kindness then all you need to do is begin to treat everyone with decency and respect. We are the ones who determine the kind of world we’ll live in.

30. it is interesting Floris when we come to the point where we question ourselves if we want to add to the waywardness of life or not and what then our choice will be. Are we then able to make the choice to do it differently from then on or are we to much involved and have invested in the way it is. With other words does it still give us a form of reward, something we are still enjoying.

31. What a gorgeous sharing – reading this I can see how we dismiss the potential of deep relationships between men and women without it being sexual. How we have almost avoided opening up with each other because we think we have stuff to deal with first. But really – we all want the same thing – an openness and transparency and intimacy.

    1. I felt the same thing HM. We were not designed to lear at each other or disrespect each other. These behaviours are taken for granted as normal when they are anything but.

32. Imagine a secret garden full of the most delicate beautiful flowers. Imagine a secure space full of exotic natural delights. This sort of hidden area, walled and secure, kept away from others prying eyes is much like men’s tenderness in this life. Many of us don’t even know this oasis in us exists. But for those like you Floris who are bold enough to go there and even open the gate and invite others in, the beauty and sweetness that is there to be shared is one of the great wonders of this world. The more men open up this part to be seen the richer we all will be.

33. To me, the sexes are in reaction to each other and just coping with the functionality of being in the world together. Why the reaction? Because women are not treasuring themselves or expressing their inner wisdom and worth; and the men are not embracing their deep sensitivity and tenderness. So we end up with a functional by product that devastates the opposite sex.

34. How wonderful to read Floris from a man’s perspective how you now talk with you friends about women and life. Such a difference to the norm, or how you used to in the past. It is where the degradation of women starts, when men are sitting around and speaking in a demeaning way about women, men thinking that it is normal, when it is not. Then that perception is carried out into other behaviours because it becomes normalised, again, when it is not.

35. The preciousness in which you hold your relationships with women in and why you share this with others is beautiful.

36. This is such a great question –”Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?”. The answer to that is that we get hurt early in life and then we put up a huge wall of protection so that we do not get hurt again so what is needed then is to deal with our hurts and let carry them around.

37. ‘If I could be a little more calm, if I could be a little bit more polished, if I could come accross in a nicer way’ – these seem to be our highest dreams when it comes to relationships or friendships of any kind. But what if we are missing out? What if there’s another paradigm in which we could live? What if we made all our interactions about expressing and sharing our Love? Wow – that is so far from tweaking what we have today and offers us the chance to live in a truly connected way. Thank you gorgeous Floris for this reflection.

38. Honour, Love and appreciation need not be reserved for occasion or for one gender or another – we are all equal and our natural expression is one of deep honour and Love.

39. What a beautiful blog. We men are so lost in what we have created to be the truth, and to then feel this enormously sensitive blog is a true relief and inspiration to live in a sensitive way allowing the adoration and tenderness in connection to be there and allow this to be the norm of living in connection with our true nature.

40. Isn’t it amazing to be able to break down the barriers and separation we often hold between us that get in the way of true connection? I am learning to recognise some that I still hold to and I am learning to deconstruct them and let them go.

41. Thank you Floris for being so honest with regards to your beliefs about women, for these are the types of conversations that will eventually change humanity.

42. Thank you Floris , ” surrendering and deepening the acceptance that I am indeed a precious and loving being myself ” this is the choice we all have and you living and expressing so will make it easier for all Men and all Women , the love is felt.

43. This was beautiful to read and to feel your honesty and openness Floris. This goes along way in healing the hurts between the tow genders that have kept us separate for so long. I loved what you said about how men are women, they have just forgotten how to be with the fragility. I would add to that, that this is because women themselves have forgotten this. It is up to us as women to embrace the power of our fragility, and in so doing men will also remember the exquisite fragility within themselves.

44. I feel that what you express here is true for a lot if not most men – deep down there is some judgment they hold over women, some way that they put women down or think of them as lesser. But this is not about pointing the finger or instilling guilt – the honesty is all that matters and from there it becomes a very liberating experience that supports men and women alike. And before I sign off, what about women and their attitude towards and judgment of men?

45. I’m embarrassed too Floris by the way I used to talk about men, treat men, have relationships with men, the lot. Looking back now I see I was in a huge amount of protection. Whilst I loved men, I did not in truth know how to be with them in a way that honoured both them and me. Thank God – and thank Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine – that I have learned a much different way to be with men, in all respects.

46. It is crazy that we hold back expressing our love and appreciation for others for when we don’t our relationships have an opportunity to grow and evolve supporting us to feel truly met and held by the strength and power of the grandness of love.

47. So beautiful to read your blog Floris, your fragility shines trough, and I can whole heartedly agree with what you share.We men need to allow our tenderness and fragility to show, and know how we can truly love women, in the way only we can do, in full adoration and surrender without need but the fullest apreciation.

    1. Beautifully expressed Benkt, I love everything you’ve shared. It is absolutely gorgeous when we are open to connecting to each other and not be afraid to show our sensitivity, fragility and who we truly are.

48. ‘We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.’ A beautiful line and I guess that also women themselves have forgotten how to be fragile. In the last few years I have allowed myself to feel the fragility in myself and to be with it and to not hide it for anyone. Work in progress I have to say but reading your honest and open sharing makes me honouring my fragility even more.

49. Letting people in being transparent and vulnerable without a need to be perfect – is nearly the exact opposite of the message we receive daily yet to have true intimacy it is what is needed to be felt in every person.

50. The group energy especially in male friendship circles can be destructive to say the least. It was a blessing for all of them to have you providing your reflection for that weekend.

51. It is true that in order to allow true love and appreciation in our lives, we must first recognise it and accept this within ourselves for we are each Love and of the same true energetic quality.

    1. Or the cycle of separation will continue to divide men and women time and time again. Bringing more and more ill ease and dis-ease.

52. It really does take courage for men to open up with each other when this has not been the normal, even in a text conversation with an old friend this morning I could feel a measuring of what would be acceptable in terms of talking about feelings rather than facts. But it is all practice and nothing needs to be perfect.

53. The truth you are living needs to be shared so that others may be inspired by your incredible choices.

54. When we allow our love within to guide us we discover the majesty of who we are is worth deeply honouring, as it confirms who we all equally are in essence. It is when we resist this love that we find ourselves behaving in ways that creates tension in our lives and as such between us. In surrendering to the love we all innately are we soon realise that every relationship we share offers us the opportunity to learn, grow and evolve to a deeper relationship within ourselves, and so with all others. It is through the beautiful ever-expanding movement of divine love, and the practice of appreciation and confirmation, that serves to deepen our connection to the power of Brotherhood.

55. True – why is it that we express a far less to each other, if at all. How is it that we dont express deep honour, appreciation and adoration of each other when this is what is felt and water it down, dismiss it or replace it with a harsher alternative? It is deeply important for us to express the truth to each other and in this, allow each of us to be openly loving and beholding of each other.

56. Men and women are all people. We all want to be loved. We all want to live a joyful and purposeful life.

57. As a woman it is incredibly beautiful to hear a man speak with such delicateness and reflect on the past with such honesty. One can easily see that through being truly tender with one another that relationships between men and women will completely shift as our willingness to understand one another opens up.

58. And until we deeply love and appreciate ourselves and confirm the Love we know we are, we will never truly see this in another.

59. It is true that we all know Love and yet we are too busy seeking it from outside and waiting for it to arrive on our doorstep without firstly living the Love we know we are.

60. Am I stable, connected and solid in myself? Or am I sad, disappointed and looking emotionally for others to validate me? For a lot of my life I have been in camp no. 2 and so this has meant the connections that have been there with women have got twisted into stimulants to make me feel better, to pick me up when nothing else will do. It’s such a shame that this addiction and craving got in the way as it absolutely stops me from building true friendships. We all, women and men have so much to share and bring. It’s a crime as you show Floris that we tend to live divided and segregated in such a profound way.

61. Sometimes, I get the feeling that men love women more than women love men. To feel just how much a man really appreciates a woman is something out of this world because most of the time women are not appreciating themselves AT ALL!

62. Appreciating ourselves allows to embrace and value the beauty and reflection of others and not resist the pull to be more of who we are.

63. Thank you Floris for sharing and showing that it is ok to feel what we feel and explore it without judgement but with astuteness and love.

64. Becoming aware of how much I hold back expressing love to another especially my husband has been quite revealing but the more I am becoming aware of it the more I am expressing. Our behaviours can be so ingrained but as I develop my awareness through connecting to my body I am beginning to let go of the behaviour of holding back to naturally express the love that I am.

65. We all want to be loved and cared for, this is with out a doubt true. To let this in from another we need to care for and love our self first, this builds a sense of self worth. Otherwise, we often do not allow ourself to be loved and cared for, as we do not feel worthy to receive what is on offer.

    1. Absolutely – Love is an every way street that begins with each of us.

66. I can be quite hard on men so we all equally have something to learn.

67. Thank you, Floris for writing what is so palpable to many men and women.. The more transparent we bring up these things the easier it is to resume our equalnes and let everything go that is not that. Super easy once we let go of any extractions away from the truth (distractions, shame, game, emotions etc.). So awesome to read by this blog that it is possible and that how much we open up and let go is in our own hands.. Let’s use our power wisely.

68. The pressure placed on men by women to be aggressive and tough as women harden and compete in the workforce and life in general has taken its toll on the health and well-being of humanity. It is refreshing to meet men and women in the community who are letting go of their walls of protection and reconnecting to the tenderness and love we all innately are.

69. “Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?” because we don’t want to get hurt. We would also have to feel the full extent of the love we have walked away from and don’t live.

70. “By letting in women and their many different expressions of love, and by expressing my own love and affection, I have felt more honouring and appreciation than I have ever felt in my life before.” It is indeed a two way street Floris, and one that is so worth going down as we can only benefit. Only by opening ourselves up and expressing our own love are we truly able to let another in and in return feel the depth of love that is on offer to us all the time.

71. The full expression of what we know to be true, and what we are learning as we develop in life, allows others the opportunity to consider if that is also true for them. Without that expression, no such opportunity exists.

72. “By letting in women and their many different expressions of love, and by expressing my own love and affection, I have felt more honouring and appreciation than I have ever felt in my life before.” Honesty plus openness equals intimacy and that’s the most loving mathematical equation we can all work on together. Thank you Floris.

73. It is great to have this discussion with absolute honesty in how men see women and also how women see men, as currently in the world we have so much abuse alongside ill beliefs, ideals, behaviours and patterns. As a woman only today I could see that the natural essence within men is so so tender, sweet and gentle but they do not allow this completely out or allow others completely in from a fear or being either rejected or to have these innate qualities abruptly dismissed. If we truly gave each other space, respected others and were willing to let our guards and layers or protection down letting our love out and others in so so much would change within the world.

74. I still love that line you’ve written Floris that “We, as men, adore women…” Such a beautifully tender and truthful statement that is important to remember. Deep down this is true for every man, as is the reciprocal true for every woman.

75. ‘Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?’
    Good question – it usually take a catastrophe to bring the world together in aid and realise that we are all people living life on the same planet! But, to live in a way that honours how much we really do love each other would expose war, expose racism, nationalism and most religions that seek to separate and control mankind. If the majority moved back to a way of love with each other – minorities would no longer be governing and categorising our relationships.

76. The level of love we have for ourselves is the level of love we allow to see and feel from others. Regardless of how much other people love us, if we are not able to love ourselves, we can’t actually allow the love from others to truly come in, in full.

77. A beautiful blog Floris that completely demonstrates the tender beautiful man you are. What an inspiration you are to both men and women.

78. It is truly beautiful to feel you connect to and express you from an honesty and vulnerability that is deeply healing from all who read this. So many of us deny these innate qualities at our own expense and the expense of a world that desperately needs the reflection of a way of being we should all in fact be embracing… our responsibility in this should never be forgotten, for the enormity of what we bring and the healing it offers us all is truly incredible.

79. Simply beautiful Floris, thank you for writing this.

80. Thank you Floris for sharing so honestly. The tenderness, fragility and true presence that resides within men is rarely experienced in this day of age and to make this available in your interactions and via reflection for others men is so important. I am aware that women have forgotten what it is like to be truly held in this loving and tender way with men and need the support to open themselves to this and what is innately true. We are all connected and it is the natural way for both men and women to meet in this preciousness that you have written of and to expose all the false beliefs, ideals and pictures that are getting in the way.

81. It is beautiful to read a man express with such openness and honesty, through our love and appreciation of each other we can begin to experience true relationships and the healing and evolution this offers us all when we make this simple choice.

82. It is interesting to consider what holds us back from being open about how much we care and love, because in truth we do. I can feel it within myself and I observe it in others, the pain comes from holding back and protecting ourselves from perceived injustices…time to dig a bit deeper and feel the foundation of love that resides within.

83. What we all crave most is to be met, loved and cared for. The more I give this to myself the more I am able to let this in from others.

84. I agree Adele. Relationships are everything and the joy is immense when we don’t have any expectations.

85. I’m not sure I am on board with everything in this article but I can see it’s an exploration into, “Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?” and in this I can appreciate and support. It’s a great question that doesn’t have a single answer but at the same time maybe the answer is to allow that love to be seen. The ‘seen’ isn’t a one off or just for someone special but an allowance or understanding that that is a way you can live, we can live with each other that supports more of the same.

86. Its awesome to read something from a man expressing from his tenderness.

87. Such beautiful realisations Floris, if we could all wake up and realise what we actually crave or are missing we would definitely speed up our evolution and have a far lovelier time in the process. I also caught up with some old friends recently and it was very beautiful that after all this time of knowing each other and not seeing each other there the friendships did not waiver.

88. ‘Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?’ Great question Floris and one for us all to definitely ponder on.

89. This blog is a must read for all generations. The deep levels of truth that have been revealed from one man’s understanding has the capacity to support so many. To sit and ignore or toughen up stops many women from experiencing the truest qualities of a man.

90. Re reading your honest and open sharing Floris made me ponder how much of the adoration I feel from a man do I truly let in. To stay open and feel my fragility makes me aware of the power that is naturally there when I truly claim the beauty of the woman I am. When I do not let it in I can stay in comfort, in arrangements instead of deeply loving relationships with men (and women equally)

91. In the end it is all about appreciating our qualities, and truly feel how interconnected we all are. Making relationships more that just the superficial which causes us to objectify each other.

92. It is time every home became a safe and secure place for us to express the truth that all are equal in everyway. Maybe we have different roles we play but one persons is not better than the other.

93. I had the exact same feeling, this sentence not only offers us a truth that can dissolve all the inequality and games and abuse that goes on between men and women, but equally it shows us the way forward.

    1. It’s amazing how many words we use everyday, it’s probably millions, but when it comes to the truth only a line is needed to provide an answer that the whole world is seeking for.

       1. Yes very true… truth is simple and requires few words. Complication is the hallmark of something that is attempting to convince us it is true.

94. Yes! This is so true, that the way we treat each other will define the what the next generation feels and experiences. We have an opportunity now to really deeply appreciate both men and women for the true qualities they bring and stop all these games, instead building relationships based on appreciation, understanding and a genuine love for each other.

95. Refreshing to read this, as it shows that we are more than our ideals and beliefs, and that the barriers we put up are of our own making – there is so much we are missing out on by keeping each other at arms length.

96. It is so beautiful to read this, and allow myself to feel deeply that we are all deeply loving each other, and it is up to us to let each other in. It is in developing the preciousness that in truth is so natural to us but we choose to hide from others, as it does not get supported from a very young age.

97. Thanks for the supreme honesty in sharing your realisations. It’s rare to have such candour, clarity and responsibility about what’s truly going on between friendships, relationships and genders. Your willingness to openly express vulnerability is greatly inspiring.

98. In every relationship we are choosing the quality and depth we are willing to meet people at, as this comes from our relationship with ourself first.

99. What becomes so very apparent having read your words Floris is how very important and healing it is to express what we feel. It allows us to see and feel the immenseness and volume of what is there to feel and express.

100. This article is gold as we begin to understand the root causes of the gender divide; this level of honesty and openness is exactly what will return us to unification and collaboration.

101. Embracing fragility and tenderness as a man allows us to be seen for the love that we truly are, and a great healing for all.

102. Very beautiful to read about a man who is in touch with who he really is, therefore he is able to see and feel what it means to connect with women at a deeper level.

103. This is a much needed blog that highlights some of the issues that hold men and women back from seeing us all as equal. Not just sex objects or butts of jokes but truly equal brothers

104. Our friendships offer us an opportunity to share ourselves in full. By this I mean being open and honest and vulnerable. If that is not acceptable, our relationships are conditional and based on need or tradition, expectations and fear of rejection. What ever it is it not ‘true’.

105. There is something seriously absurd going on in our relationships today. We hold at a distance and disregard those who we spend the most time with. We share experiences and intimate thoughts occasionally, but spend so much time tussling and competiting. All this with the person who we say we love! After reading your words I am wondering Floris just what our intimate relationships would be like if we actually let out that adoration and warmth we all know is there inside, free from cynicsm, attachment and fear of rejection. Well I for one am going to find out.

106. Thank you Floris, for sharing this with honesty. As a whole, we as men need this level of truth to be expressed and shared with each other and the rest of humanity, It gives others the realisation that they can do it too.

107. At first as I read this it got me thinking about whether as a woman do I feel less than men, I was at first like no I don’t and in truth in don’t but then I could also feel things I have taken on where there are some behaviours that I still hold that reflect this. For example, in a relationship I still have feelings of elation when a man likes me and there is still a wanting to impress a man, I realised that this is part of this belief. Gosh, still a bit to learn in terms of fully respecting and honouring myself as a woman.

108. This is a tender and honest sharing Floris and deeply appreciated. We all have put barriers in place and many of us have not stopped to accept responsibility for this. Your open and inspiring blog Floris has exposed this and has also allowed each of us to realise that everything is a choice and at any moment we can choose opening our heart and meeting others in the fragility we are protecting.

109. It goes to show that our connections are forever, irrespective of our choices and paths we may take.

110. This is cool Floris and so super important to indeed talk about and educate eachother from this new way, this new perspective of holding no abuse (to the best of your ability) in your body and not sexualising women in any way.

111. I am loving all conversations about our approach to and attitudes about gender. It feels like we are unearthing many ill held beliefs and prejudices that, whilst we keep covered, still influence our behaviour towards and treatment of each other. Thank you for this beautifully open and honest article, Floris.

112. ‘Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?’ We can’t bear to admit that we have been so separative. But how beautiful it is to surrender to Love and each other.

113. Floris, I love this sentence, ‘We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.’ We women too need to relearn being with fragility, allowing the beauty that it is to be expressed.

114. I could really relate to this line Floris.. we as men adore women we have simply forgotten how to be with the fragility. Often I have held back this fragility from partners, as I didn’t want to appear as if I was weak. Thank you for writing from your experience that has supported me to understand this with a deeper richness than before.

115. Floris, it was lovely that your friends were still there for you and welcomed you back into the fold, there is something deeply beautiful in the potential men have to support each other. Whenever I have a conversation with another man that steps beyond the small talk I can feel how powerfully supportive that is to our health, not comparing or needing to measure up to each other but just encourage one another to share what is going on for us. If women are able to share so much of their feelings then men should be able to do the same, after all we feel just as much, so if we don’t share what happens in our bodies to that, that is unexpressed!

116. When we really start to appreciate those deeper and more delicate qualities that we all have within us, it opens up to the possibility of experiencing that not just on ourselves, but in each other, and the communication that can then be possible, is quite extraordinary.

117. Thank you again, I know I have already commented here but I read this fresh today as if I never had. “Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?” I see this so often in young people who guard themselves to ensure they don’t get hurt but in guarding, they like me get way more hurt than if they had allowed themselves to feel all there was to feel in the beginning.

118. For me as a woman it is beautiful to read a blog from a man who is willing to be honest about how his relationships with women. The more honest we are the more we will be able to relate in truth to both men and women.

119. It is so refreshing to hear a man express the truth that all we crave is to be truly met and loved. Such a level of openness and honestly can only allow love to flow more freely.

120. “This experience made me appreciate how far I have come in terms of how I now relate to women and how I used to relate to them. Women (in my experience, at least), have often been a favourite topic to talk about or comment on. These talks or comments in the past were usually about looks and/or were often sexually related.” I have found that through being inspired by Universal Medicine to make changes to the way i live and then having had the opportunity years later to visit old friends, it can be fascinating to observe, without judgment, expressions & patterns that were our everyday normal.

121. Using online dating sites it would be easy to believe that men don’t appreciate women other than for the physical connection and affection. How refreshing to hear that is not the case.

122. We all have the qualities of femaleness and maleness within us. We simply have different bodies to carry and express them. Understanding this exposes the madness of any gender conflict or battle, because it is a conflict and battle against ourselves.

123. As I pressed the ‘like’ button, Floris, I realised that this word doesn’t come close to how much I love and appreciate your words. You are such an inspiration to all of us of how we can interrelate with each other on a truly loving and equal basis without agendas, sexual or not.

124. We could all take some more time to appreciate each other and what we bring. It is like we have a few different sides of what is sometimes described as a ‘gender war’ going on more and more at the moment. Men and women are pitted against each other and each trying to stand up for their rights within that. Have we ever simply taken a step back and appreciated each other and celebrated our ‘differences’, which is merely the unique way we speak/express to support each other. We are on guard from both angles and hence we never truly hear each other and what is being said. I can second the support offered at Universal Medicine healing courses and equal to that is the honesty and openness you bring to the table. If we want the ‘world to be a better place’ then it’s important to have a look at our input and this is a great place to start.

125. How different our society would be now, if men had been supported to deeply honour their delicacy and fragility that is so apparent in them when they are young boys, rather than expecting them to ‘toughen up and be hard’ in life.

126. There are so many things that are passed down from generation to generation without any questioning of whether they really support humanity to live together harmoniously or not. If we feel something is not working with our societies everywhere, my feeling is that we have a responsibility to say ‘it stops here with us and we are not passing this on.’

127. It is a blessing to feel a man being honest about his vulnerability and longing to be met, loved and cared for. This should of course be the norm, as men are deeply sensitive just as women are, but still it touches me when a man does not feel he has to be strong and have it all sorted.

128. Do we all have a Venn diagram of things we would do for love, but not that? Or, is it just that little bit that crosses over into who we are that will always make us question our choices?

129. I just re read this sentence and thought, is this not something that we all want first and foremost:
     I actually would love to be honoured and loved in the most honouring and loving way possible.

130. Reading what you share Floris: “- the game of protecting my individuality and telling the world to “leave me alone.” However, what I’m craving most is to be met, loved and cared for.” is a game. It’s a competitive game with no winners except when I covert myself as the one to be kept separate. One when I do this it hurts and It’s a loss to me and everyone, back to a no win for all.

131. It’s so beautiful to read a man’s perspective on relating to women. I love your honesty and your willingness to be open. So many men would keep this topic close to their chest. We need more blogs like these.

132. Along with all the gold in this blog – this is a good question for us all to ask ‘Do I want the next generation of men to check out, harden, harass and bully just as much (or more) than I did?’ as it can be relative to any topic, person or situation if we change a few words around. The more we continue to accept the harshness or the so called ‘norm’ around today, the more we drop the bar of what we allow, accept and expect for ourselves and others. When we start to make the truer and natural changes for ourselves we are supporting that to be there, to be possible and to be a reflection for the next generation.

133. I agree Annie, to appreciate ourselves is one of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves yet there is such a strong stigma attached to it in our society. I know that when I truly appreciate myself I feel loved, cherished and adored and I do not need anything from outside of myself as nothing is greater than what I am feeling inside. From this I am beginning to understand that it is impossible to truly appreciate another unless I am appreciating myself first.

134. I am learning too to appreciate the connection to myself and the qualities I bring. It is incredibly powerful when I do rather than to live in a way that tries to seek love from others for what I have done.

135. It seems we are each waiting for the other to share more intimately before we will open up more to others. Better to say what is there to be said in the moment as this way is really very delight-full for another to receive.

136. What does really touch me was your question about if I like the next generation to make the same experiences as I made when I was young. I had to feel into how my growing up was and have to say: no! And so the question is , what can I do to make this not happen? As I see the things did get worse, not better for teenagers. So I’ve done defiantly not my job here. Ouch! Now, Sandra: choose differently. Go for it.

137. I remember one time asking myself would I like it if another man was ogling or disrespecting my daughter or wife and the answer was no and from then on, I stopped doing it to other women. As men we do know what it is like to deeply honour and respect women.

     1. This is an awesome way to consider the foulness that can go on toward women. Every woman is someone’s daughter, sister, mother or Aunty. Looking at it this way and relating it to ones own family takes the objectification out of it.

138. Its just so amazing when we have old friends that are always there, even though we all make different choices and may spend long amounts of time away from each other the true friendships never end.

139. Floris, I love your willingness to let down your protective shields and be open to sharing your revelations as you return to the truth of men being in their true fragility and this being the greatest gift to themselves, to women and to humanity.
     “We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility”

140. “We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.”
     It seems that men and women have amassed so many pictures of what we think we should be for the other, masters at not being true to ourselves and protecting the very fragility and vulnerability that opens the door to true meaningful connection.

141. I feel one of the key words in your sharing is fragility – trusting that it is okay to be raw and real and seen just for who you are and knowing that you will still be okay even if you (in that situation) experience rejection.

142. I love the honesty here about how you have been in the past, and the courage you had to admit these attitudes were harming you as well as women, and that you took the time to release and heal it all. Now I bet your male friends admire your loveliness and tenderness too.

143. When you are held by a man for who you are, not what you do, or what you look like, its so powerful, I know I just melt like butter on a summers day, its like all the femininity just starts to come naturally flow out. Each sex holds the key back home for the other sex, we are so connected and can support each other if we truly allow it.

144. I love the way you are opening up Floris, developing your relationship with yourself and appreciating how you are changing, and noticing the difference when you are with your ‘old’ mates. The great thing is that when you aren’t afraid to show this, they get an amazing reflection of how to be true to themselves too.

145. ‘Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?’ Great sentence Floris. Could it be that it all starts with our relationship with ourselves and bringing deeper care and love here will then naturally extend to all others?

146. The tenderness, care and love in your blog, for both men and women is palpable Floris. Thank you for sharing the true essence of a man with all of us.

147. Beautiful to be so open, it heals. I have found my relationships with men have changed a lot over the last few years. I meet them as equals, without hesitation and less protection. I can feel a surrender between us of a trust and being seen for who we are with less stuff in the way. This is the power of healing and letting go of protection.

148. ‘By not sharing what I’ve learned, I shy away from responsibility’ – This is true Floris; if we can see through behaviour that is disrespectful, abusive or disempowering of another person, group or gender, then we have a responsibility to share a true way of being where humanity is treated equally with enormous care and love, otherwise the inequality within society will continue.

     1. Yes, well said, and this is a shift from hiding behind our made up powerlessness and embracing responsibility and the integrity to express what we see, and know, to be the dysfunctional and divisive patterns in society.

149. Floris, I can feel how true this is, ‘We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.’ I notice how natural it is for us to treat each other as equals and how hard, unnatural and separative it is when we treat each other as merely sexual objects, growing up there seemed to be a division between boys and girls and men and women, this starts young. Now that I see men and women as equals and have friends that are men I can feel the amazing qualities and relationships we can have with each other and what a shame it is that we often only have friends of the same sex as ourselves cutting out 50% of the population.

150. Floris this is a very beautiful and honest sharing and opens up the possibility and expression for true relationships with ourselves and others of both genders with an honouring tenderness and appreciation as the way forward in the world.The quality we live and the quality we bring wherever we go says so much and your reflection is an inspiration to others to inspire their own realness ,truth and appreciation for each other.

151. WE do have a responsibility, not only to ourselves but to everyone and to the generations to come. Living by example is how we can fulfil this responsibility and you have shown us here how that is unfolding for you. I would imagine there are many men like you who do not trust to voice their true feelings and thus their behaviours and ways of being stay the same and the gender gap widens. You show us that it really doesn’t have to be this way and that there is support from Universal Medicine and it’s practitioners to bring more honesty to ourselves and begin to live in a true way where we respect and honour each other and where that desire to love and be loved diminishes as we realise we are already love and it is in the coming together that we can celebrate this.

152. We have so much to offer one another when we really connect to the qualities within our selves that each gender brings. And this can occur in all manner of relationships, work, leisure, family, friends. The more I realise, appreciate and express my qualities, the more love, appreciation and intimacy I share in all my relationships. This is a far cry from how I used to live life 10 years ago; studying with Serge Benhayon has completely transformed my outlook on life, love and who we all are. Thank you Floris for choosing to look deeper and feel the effects of your attitudes and behaviour and discovering the richness of who you really are, all your exquisite qualities that go way beyond the crippling limitations of sexual discrimination.

153. I once believed what I most wanted in life was ‘to love and be loved in return’. Then was shown that to truly love another, I had to first love myself. This new awareness changed my life forever. I’m no longer that person desperately seeking love outside of herself, I now have a growing capacity to love everyone equally. It is no longer about me and what I want but how I am and the quality I bring to all my relationships.

154. Yes, this is a great confirmation that men are longing to be ‘allowed’ to be the tender, gentle men they are. And one invitation (hanging out with you, Floris) is enough to shift habits of a lifetime.

155. What you have shared here, Floris, opens up the true potential we have as men and women to honour and value our innate qualities bringing them unashamedly to the table to balance and settle the world so we can move on together.

156. Floris, I can very much relate to this in the opposite way. I find it difficult to allow equality between me and men and there is still quite some mistrust that men are only interested in me being sexual attractive for them. However in the last year I deepened the care and love with me and sometimes I now catch the eyes of complete strangers not seeing anymore sexual needeness in them but tenderness and love. Thank you that you have brought up this subject .

157. Floris, thank you for sharing so intimately your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Your blog could be essential reading for some I care deeply for but sadly, it is not yet time for this choice to be made. Perhaps blogs such as this could be kept in a perpetual archive somewhere and made available when the season is ripe, to be released like the proverbial bardi moths from their great caterpillar bodies from deep in the ground when conditions and timing are constellated. Your expression is so appreciated.

158. I know ‘this game of independence’ very well and it has never delivered any of the intimacy I have craved. It has only brought emptiness and misery so why entertain it? It’s not worth gaining the illusion of safety for giving up on connection and love.

159. This is such an enormous expose Floris, thank you being willing to not only go there and explore this for your self, but to share it so publicly. It is an awesome conversation to initiate, because gender supremacy occurs in both sexes, learning to see, feel and embrace our true equality and graceful qualities has to begin with people like your self taking the first steps to dismantle these insidious attitudes.

160. Thank you for the open and honest reflections offered here. Whenever men behave in a dishonouring way towards women, everyone, men as well as women are trapped in stereo types. In that situation not only is there less permission for the woman to express the power of her qualities, but the man is also in a trap of not being able to show the tender, caring and loving being that he inherently is. We all lose magnificence of each of our expressions and the joy of experiencing the union and harmony among us all.

161. This is so gorgeous to read Floris “As a man I am deeply tender, caring and loving. I love my roles as a father, friend, brother, son, colleague, fellow brother of life, philosopher and as a son of God. I’m in awe with people and the communication and relationships between them – which to me is true religion and science.”

162. “I’m experiencing some very special relationships with women of different ages, which are to me incredible and very precious. Writing about the preciousness is very touching to me, as these relationships are very dear to both myself and to the women” – beautiful and love this Floris, yes, as i’ve been learning Love over the years from it being very much a pictured or idealistic kind, to realising that when there are no such hooks, pins or pictures, what is left is a love that’s true, pure.. and something I’ve wanted my entire life. And today do enjoy and with many different people too i would otherwise not thought possible, odd or strange. It is freeing to love without the blindness of belief or condition, but instead with the sight of open truth.

163. The caring nature of a man and the nurturing aspects of a woman offers the world a unity of the two genders living in their true essence, reflecting to the world that we are here together on earth in sync with each other, in harmony and expressing love that extends way beyond our physical form.

164. It is great that you write this Floris and it is very important to ask ourselves what we are contributing to in how we are living and what we are saying, nodding our heads to or turn our eyes from.

165. The willingness to not stay silent is very appreciated and foundational for us all. It makes life simpler and offers great clarity when we are honest enough to say there are thoughts that cause separation between us. With that awareness we can then choose the quality of love.

166. Protection and measuring our commitment to love seems to be common to both men and women, but in truth we all want the same thing as you have revealed Floris, to be deeply loved and adored. The stumbling block is we as men and women have lost sight of our connection to the purpose of being male and female, we each have a role that brings balance and harmony, one without the other is like night without the day, when we accept this the judgement, objectification, competition, mystery will dissolve and respect, understanding, equality, appreciation and honouring will be the way.

167. It is very inspiring to read of the changes you have made Floris… from the superficiality and superiority of women being about looks and sex, to now knowing the depth of connection, intimacy, truth and equality that can be shared within these relationships. Beautiful for both men and women to read and also teenagers to be inspired by.

168. Men and women do indeed adore each other… it is only all the images – ideals and beliefs – we take on along the way that tarnish the truth of what we truly feel.

169. Your blog brings out the equality in relationships Floris… we all crave and wish to be loved and honoured as the tender, gorgeous beings we are.

     1. And if we can come to the table together, unashamedly and equally, honouring each others’ innate qualities, we have the ingredients to balance and settle the world.

170. Thank you Floris for your honesty in sharing your realisations and your tender unfolding. “do I want to contribute to how warm, loving, intimate, equal, unfolding, joyful and loving the relationship between women and men can be – without any sexual hooks?” and your blog says a definite yes.

171. There’s a responsibility for each and every individual – no matter man or woman – to love ourselves and be with each other from this love. Including the acceptance, understanding and allowing the non-loving choices we and others make. This is a way of life – The Way of the Livingness – which would be far more simple if we would accept this fact and learn to hold ourselves in our own love and that of the Universe around us, in order to be able to also hold others. If not, reacting to other people or accidents easily occur. Hence, all the problems, violence and manipulation between men and women. If we would look from a distance, what is it about us human beings that at times we behave totally against our loving essence? Wouldn’t it be wise to take responsibility for this?

172. When we are guarded and living from our hurts we ca never fully appreciate ourselves and others, no matter the gender.

173. Brilliant Floris – there is this game of independence that we play, that often seems to result in us denigrating and belittling the very things we truly Love. It is like this distance we create, helps us numb the fact we miss the connection so. But this independence is really flawed especially when you understand women, men we all are one, literally, so any derogatory disdain or hurt or pain is just us harming ourselves.

174. Wow Floris, I really appreciate that you took the time to write this blog to share – whilst you were on an away weekend with friends, thank you for making the space, the world is now a richer place with your genuine, delicate and insightful blog.

175. Such a deeply tender and loving blog – thank you Floris for allowing us to share your innermost feelings and tenderness. It feels truly honouring for both men and women when we share our love as equals.

176. I used to feel very hurt with how I saw women were talked of and treated by men. It is absolute abuse and is not in truth acceptable. What may have hurt me more though was seeing how women responded by often just allowing it and not standing up for themselves.

177. Great contribution and I love the fragility and honesty of a man who doesn’t shy away from saying how it really is but doesn’t have to be at all – once we become honest and take responsibility, we can easily pull down the divide between not only the genders but nations, religions, cultures, etc.

178. We all benefit from you dropping your self protective stance and actually letting yourself out and women in. Thank you so much, I can feel the difference from when I get a hug with a person who’s heart is truly open , to someone who’s heart is not open- it feels completely different and has huge impact on me and I am sure – them!

179. How can I describe the changes that I have also made towards being more self-loving? “. . . by expressing my own love and affection, I have felt more honouring and appreciation than I have ever felt in my life before”.
     As a man on the path of return to being truly tender, I am also “learning to let true love and appreciation in, surrendering and deepening the acceptance that I am indeed a precious and loving being myself”.
     My life before the presentations by Serge Benhayon was one of arrogance and emotional turmoil and I would just bottle those emotions up. Letting go of the way in which I would have uncontrolled thoughts about my fellow brothers and sisters has been a wonderfull journey of feeling and nominating those things that have been holding back my evolution! Everything in my life has become about being responsibly involved in bringing a lovingly tender connection for myself so that others can then feel for themselves the changes I have made in my Livingness.

180. I am becoming increasingly aware of my responsibility to share and not hold back and this is beginning to expand in all areas of my life. The key here is consistency and not just when I feel like it or to share with some people and not others.

181. I love the foundation of your blog here Floris, which is that as men, in truth, you adore women. This is such a beautiful statement and starting point… particularly because it is so true. The reverse is also the case of course, we are yet to fully appreciate one another from a gender perspective… but in time, it will happen.

182. It is deeply responsible to consider our own choices and actions, to heal our patterns of behaviour that have been less than loving and to inspire a true relationship to seed forth between men and women, between men and between women – from young to old.

183. Your honesty is appreciated Floris. Once nominated and expressed it goes a long way in being a healing not only for you , but many of us who hold beliefs about gender, hidden or not.

184. When we start to appreciate each other for our gorgeous and unique but equally divine qualities, then men and women will be able to bring to each other all that they long for, and in our hearts know we deserve.

185. We really take away from relationships between the opposite sex when we come from the ideals and beilefs around how we need to be with men. For example, if a man is married, we need to be a certain way, and if we are just friends with a man, we would be with them differently. We have this belief that you cannot be truly intimate with a man unless it is our partner. We really have misinterpreted the word intimacy and held it as exclusive. Such a pity when every man on this planet deserves to feel a truly natural intimacy between himself and another woman with no sexual connotations whatsoever, just a truly equal, loving and deep connection.

186. With amazing humility and honesty, your blog so simple deconstructs one of the most contested and strained topics of our times, how men and women relate to one another – no one here is placed as better or worse, and no one becomes a victim – what you have done is create equality in your willingness to be honest about how you saw women, and how you truly relate to them now with love and respect of yourself and of them.

187. Just because we might make different choices to someone else, does not mean we have to cut each other out. I love how you have reconnected with very old friends and hold them as no more and no less than you Floris, this is a beautiful teaching to many of us – that we are all the same.

188. ‘We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.’ I feel this has been the case for women too and we are all relearning the beauty of fragility with ourselves and with each other. Thank you Floris for your tender blog.

189. As women when we can live the truly exquisite power and grace that is inside us to claim no man will find it easy to dismiss women as sexual objects or as inferior, nor will they be able to resist the inspiration offered by this reflection that says they are just as exquisite, tender and graceful.

190. The love and appreciation in this blog just blows me away. Thank you Floris for sharing your tenderness and vulnerability.

191. Interesting isn’t it how we all want love and to be loved and yet we are reluctant to stand up for love and to be loving in all situations in our lives?

192. I have been very aware recently of how when I hold back on expressing what I feel is the truth, I am making it all about me and my own and not feeling the bigger picture of what I am colluding with or condoning.

     1. My feeling is the same Andrew, when I hold back my natural expression I have lost connection and “the choice to deeply connect to my body”.

193. ‘Why is it so hard to admit to ourselves, and each other, how much we care for and love each other?’ This is a great question Floris – could it be that we have lost touch with our true nature and not lived making choices from this universal Love. Gorgeous to feel your openness to it and the relationships you have developed as a result.

194. One of the key questions you ask Floris is do you want the next generation to grow up experiencing this kind of behaviour? We have such a huge responsibility in educating our younger generations about what true respect and relationship is and this can only effectively be done by example not by preaching. By the very definition of the ‘generation’, it is not reasonable to expect that each ‘generation’ have a duty to ‘re-generate’ rather than ‘de-generate’ our behaviour towards one another?

     1. “By the very definition of the ‘generation’, it is not reasonable to expect that each ‘generation’ have a duty to ‘re-generate’ rather than ‘de-generate’ our behaviour towards one another?” Great point, great slogan Rowena.

195. Great questions Floris, how do we want the next generation to grow up, connected to their essence or protected from all the supremacy and given up behaviours that many have today. It is our collective responsibility to know what choices we are making, to be honest like your were and make changes.

196. So beautifully shared Floris, such honesty and calling for a new level for other mean to go to. What you are sharing I am sure, you wouldn’t be the only man that has felt and thought these things about women. But so healing and helpful for all of us, but men and women to read what you have expressed.

197. We avoid the responsibility we all have when we behave, move and live in a way that sends the message out to ‘leave us alone’. This responsibility is, as you’ve shared Floris, to show a true way to be in relationship with others that’s loving and respectful, as we live in a world where this is not the standard ‘norm’.

198. There is nothing more gorgeous than a man relating to a woman in their tenderness, opening up and being willing to be truly seen. You are an inspiration Floris, thank you for your vulnerability and sharing.

199. I can feel how your honesty Floris about how you had felt about men being more than women is actually supporting the relationship of all men and women. For in acknowledging a belief that was there, you opened up the space to be in more genuine relationship with women, and paved the way for all men to do likewise. There is no longer that hidden barrier that no-one is able to accept The more as men we express our thoughts and feelings, the more understanding is brought into relationships, and with understanding their is an allowing for more connection where before there may have been an unspoken mistrust that rippled way beyond your life into the lives of many men and women.

200. Floris, our world is full of people who feel exactly as you do here, but few have the courage to allow themselves to be vulnerable, to feel their fragility, to be able to share as you have done in this article. Your voice has spoken for many.

201. “If I don’t share what I’ve learned, I’m telling myself that Love isn’t important. By not sharing what I’ve learned, I shy away from responsibility.” These lines really stood out for me Floris…To be speaking up about a topic that we might feel embarrassed about, or that on a initial impulse we want to hide from others offers amazing support to others to become equally open and self reflective. This is great service to others as it brings true and long lasting change.

202. Floris. Thank you. In sharing how it used to be with a group of men talking about women and how it always felt horrible, you have offered all men a new platform on which to stand. That being their own inner integrity, love and strength that can with genuineness and tenderness halt a conversation of disregard and disrespect, with authority, no matter the subject.

203. And by reflection your vulnerability and tenderness presents women & men with the grace to let go of their own guards and expectations and just be who they are – this is the magic of friendship.

204. Being and bringing the love that we as men are and have been protecting needs to be done. Now the time to release our love from the tower we have imprisoned it for decades and aeons. It is so freeing to let the jeanie out of the bottle. Our fragility is our strength; we just need to express it fully to all we meet.

205. Thank you for flagging up how labeling things as ‘banter’ is our current way of staying in the collusion of dishonesty.

206. And as we step up to this (letting our guards down) we may tremble; then we support and inspire one another as when I tremble someone is always there to hold me simply with their willingness to keep deconstructing the protection that keeps us apart.

207. Floris, your openness and honesty is such a refreshing thing to feel in your writing. I love what you have shared in regards to the age old hidden (or not always so hidden) battle between Men and Women. There is much in-equality around on many levels, but much of that is also fed by our own choices to take sides, to fight for equality, to have a difference between men and women that is not celebrated in its own delicate ways. This dis-harmony actually fuels the gap between men and women, and drives it deeper and wider. It is only when we surrender more deeply to who we are that we get to realise that there actually is no difference between us as men or women, that on the inside we all all the same tender and delicate beings that deserve to be treated as such, equally so.

208. The opportunities presented by your willingness to be honest about your underlying attitude towards women are incredible, and it is inspiring to hear you taking these opportunities with both hands and moving on. The conversation you have started represents a seismic shift in the way we perceive gender.

209. Wow, it’s truly wonderfull to read a man expressing his vulnerability, as it is indeed anyone who can express so beautifully their fragility and tenderness. Thank-you for sharing so honestly and openly Floris, you are paving the way for us all to be inspired to let down those invisible barriers that prevent us from truly connecting with each other.

210. Not only does your blog initiate a loving way for relationships between a man and woman, it also shows us women of how actually deeply tender and gentle-men are. The quality of tenderness of which you express shares the natural expression of all men, thank you for sharing.

211. It never ceases to amaze me how we as humans put on one face – sometimes many – for the world, but inside us it’s a very different story. The game of pretend that we often play, pretending that we’re ok when inside we are feeling, sad, angry, fragile etc etc. is a game that is very exhausting and possibly leading us to illness and disease if not checked. But if we are unable to be honest with ourselves how can we possibly be honest with others? Your honesty Floris is so refreshing, and your vulnerability and fragility so beautifully expressed.

212. “We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility” – very melting Floris, and very confirming to read this as a woman honouring that fragility too.

213. ‘We, as men, adore women – we’ve simply forgotten how to be with that fragility.’ How beautiful to express that appreciation, because so many women feel belittled by the men in their lives they cannot feel the love that is there.

214. I see this sharing as a great step forward in connecting in equality and with respect and love between men and women, Floris. I applaud your sharing, and especially love your courage to speak your truth with other men, who through your openness learn to love and respect themselves and women also.

215. Thanks, Floris. I love how you consider the potential impact of behaviours and choices on the next generation of young women, which shows that you are truly opening up your heart to humanity and accepting the responsibility we each have.

216. I relate to so much of what you have shared Floris, and holding back my expression “By being silent, I’m allowing the inequality between men and women in everyday society and making my life about me, not about all of us and everything around us”. My life has also changed so much since I started down the path of being “honest” to the best of my ability. Life still has its ups and downs but all in all the rhythm and flow I now have allows me to be open to healing. Like you, “I’m learning to let true love and appreciation in, surrendering and deepening the acceptance that I am indeed a precious and loving being myself”. Having the understanding of how my life is my responsibility and that the choices I make affect not only me but also those around me, has been monumental in me developing a true relationship with healing.

217. Reading the blog, all the comments and feeling everything that is so beautifully shared makes me humble, proud and very aware that there’s a lot to be done. For me personally I can feel how the need for recognition is changing into responsibility for the all. Whenever somebody is expressing something, there’s something to connect to. Making whatever people say about ourselves is actually contracting away from what I otherwise could feel and read. Thank you everybody reading and commenting on this blog. It is growing me (again) in my relationship to myself, women and men.

218. Beautiful how you have built a deep relationship with yourself by trusting and appreciating your own qualities and then you were able to appreciate this is in others, both women and men. You are an inspiration Floris, going to a deeper level of dismantling layers of protection to reveal what is possible, true and loving connection in your all relationships.

219. Floris thank you so much for writing so beautifully from your heart, your tenderness, honesty and love can be felt and very much appreciated.

220. From the day we are born we are fed images about what it means to be a man or a woman. And even though initially we can feel the inherent lie in these false pictures, because no one else appears to question it, the vast majority of us push such feelings to the side and blindly adopt the going mindset of the society we are in. And that is exactly what it is, a vice grip we are held in based on what we are led to think and never on what we truly feel. For if we were to stop and feel the truth of what is there, as you have done here Floris, we immediately feel that there is only one love but two slightly different expressions of it.

221. An absolutely stunning sharing Floris. It is so rare to see men express this way and bring loving honesty to their relationships with women. We all suffer in the ‘battle of the sexes’ and it is madness when the truth is we simply want to be loved.

222. Floris you are at the forefront of a true men’s movement that is reclaiming the absolute equalness that exists between men and women. This is groundbreaking and I thank you deeply for expanding on these understandings. The more men who feel and see what you feel and see, the sooner the tensions and inequity that exist between us will vanish.

223. We do indeed all care deeply for another and love being cared for and cherished just for who we are.

224. Thanks for sharing so openly and honestly Floris. It’s beautiful to read what you have written and learned. Very inspiring.

225. Wow, how gorgeous is this blog Floris. Your sharing is simply divine and very honouring and comfirming of how true connection between men and women can be when we come from our own tenderness and love.

226. It is lovely re-connecting with old friends and feeling that there is still such an ease and connection there between you. I have been experiencing this myself in the last few years and it has made me really appreciate those friendships and ponder on the deeper reason or purpose for our connection.

227. We make no distinctions when we are little kids who we play with. We openly receive other kids, express everything there is to express and sort out any issues then and there in the sandpit. I love to remember the ease with which we naturally relate to each other. This is something as adults we can re-ignite again with the addition of being able to explore and appreciate the beauty of what each gender brings.

228. Thank you Floris for the care you have taken to share your increasing responsibility to understand everyone as equal and inspiring me to deepen my responsibility to do the same. We are all sacred and infinitely beautiful.

229. Isn’t it a strange we can admit that we don’t believe in something because it is obviously wrong such as men being superior to women, however, hold it as an ideal that subconsciously affects us.

     Doesn’t this give a whole new meaning to honesty? This blog highlights there is a bit more than just vocalising what we think we think.

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