Calling things lame is often a shield, not a verdict.

The gavel bangs and the judge shouts, “lame!”

Next case.

This is what happens in the mind of some men in transition.

A new activity steps forward.

A hobby raises its hand.

A social invitation shuffles in nervously.

Before anything is heard, before evidence is presented, before effort has a chance, the internal judge issues the verdict.

Lame.

The courtroom clears.

Potential dismissed.

Nothing changes.

Most men think this is personality.

It is not.

It is a defence mechanism that formed quietly when reward started becoming unreliable.

Judgement often becomes armour against disappointment, a fast way to reject something before it has the chance to reject you.

It sneaks in when anticipation weakened.

When structure disappeared.

When effort began feeling more expensive than it actually was.