Do father figures still exist?

Currently, coronavirus has left some of us to reflect on certain issues, mostly affecting men. I look back and sufficiently realised my father had fulfilled a substantial role in my life. Simply because he has typically exhibited salient traits of how dear children should be naturally raised, as much as he is protective.

Heartfelt thanks to him because I am bold, independent, outspoken, generous, and I am proud of myself although sometimes mistakes are made, I manage to make sober decisions that will adversely impact my life positively.

I wonder where such father figures went to. Although in African homes, there's a constant reminder that most of the young men leave their parent's house at the age of 18 to fend for themselves, that's all about responsibility. What about their emotional font? Have we ever sat down to think of how best these young men can be mentored into responsible adults? Whereby they can maintain a certain direction in life and can properly handle their profound emotions, without falling for peer pressure, the brown bottle or a box of cigarettes as a form of comfort?

In the historical past, boys grew up with father figures who carefully guided their steps and showed them how to properly handle people.

Sadly, in today's society, some of the fathers/guardians today, have left the boys seamlessly transitioning to men to be raised by the internet of things, celebrities, and quite influential media. The cultural tradition is relatively clear that; only weak men cry; for this reason, they hold in all the frustrations and anger within, and unfortunately, the emotional baggage lands in the hands of our children and women who are used as punching bags or weight lifters of this terrible menace.

From the multiple sources of local news, there has been an increasing trend of wounded men. These reflect on their action to kill their partners/family or emotionally destroy them since that's their sole outlet for anger. This is a worrying trend that typically demands a lot of considerable attention.

Otherwise, we are raising a modern generation of feeble men, who lack morals or mutual respect for people around them. With all this happening, do father figures still exist? I wonder if they would, how the modern world would be.

I genuinely believe there is a need to powerfully build or willingly offer safe spaces for both boys and men, to comfortably reach out for help. Hence curbing the development of toxic relations and building incredible beneficial relationships with everyone they come across.