No matter your politics, hear me out…

So many people are saying Biden wasn’t strong enough to face Trump during the first presidential debate of the 2020 election.

Can we define strength for a moment?

Does one have to meet bullying with more bullying or harsh non inclusive words with more hate to be strong?

What does it mean to be a man in this world? How does masculinity play a role in what we believe about being one? What does it mean to be a strong man?

Strength can be many things, found in different ways. For me, it’s meeting someone where they are and not sinking or rising to a level that’s not authentic. It’s holding true to who we are even when faced with odds that are stacked against us.

Whatever you believe, whatever your politics, to me, Biden stood his ground and represented himself as himself last night. Was it a sh*t show? You bet. Was it messy in places that made us all cringe? Yes.

Part of my job as a therapist is to see a client as they are, watch from the first moment we meet, and listen to the best of my ability to what they’re not saying in the room.

When Biden stepped onto the stage he was himself. When he spoke, he spoke as himself. When Trump interrupted him, he paused as himself, holding back and doing his best to stay cool, which I believe was a challenge for him—from what I witnessed. All that can be true of Trump, too. He showed us as himself in his own authentic way, even if it does not align with how you would behave or what you’d want in a president.

So, again, I ask, what is strength?