Sunny Banana
YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@sanibonani-y2g?si=09LymOLYjP7sE3cY
I am a school chaplain and the content is intended to encourage curiosity about Faith and it's impact on day to day life
The Sunny Banana, is a play upon the Zulu greeting, Sanibonani, meaning I see you.
As tech wrenches us from real life, we are not seeing each other. The Greek word 'idea' means to see. It is as if we have lost the idea of what it means to be human; social, communal, relational. The same word, to see, in Old English is 'seon' which has connotations of understanding.
Let's start seeing each other again, listening, respecting, and understanding each other and ourselves. After all, we are people through other people.
Sunny Banana
#30 | Being a Man
A gentle greeting turns into a clear call: men and women are not rival camps, and strength is not the enemy. We share three hard-won lessons from lived experience and faith, starting with a simple truth that changes everything—when one side rises, both rise; when one side falls, both fall. That lens reframes relationships, work, and community as shared projects where we complement each other’s strengths and choose to walk each other home.
We then press into a charged question: what if masculinity isn’t toxic by nature, but powerful in proportion to the love and humility that guide it? Drawing on the example of Jesus—selfless, steady, and firm when needed—we unpack how masculine energy can become a gift: protect without control, provide without pride, create without consuming. It’s a practical path for men who feel caught between extremes, offering purpose that reduces noise and a model of strength that does not apologise for being strong.
The final turn is a summons to presence. The world needs men who stand up, show up, and take responsibility—at home, at work, and in the public square. We point to the church, and particularly the Orthodox tradition, as a wellspring of tools and community for shaping character: prayer that steadies, confession that humbles, and fellowship that keeps us honest. This is not retreat; it is training for service. If you’re seeking a way to channel power into good, find a rhythm that roots you, and join others on the road back to paradise.
If this message resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs encouragement today, and leave a review to help more people find it. Then tell us: what does good strength look like in your life?
Sunny Bunani, welcome to the Sunny Banana. I see you. Thank you for tuning in, folks. God bless you on this Friday morning. Today, I have a very short message about being a man and masculinity and the world. I gave a message to the chapel reflecting upon men's mental health awareness week last week and obviously the month of November now, coming to an end. And I've been a man for 39 years. Not very long, and I'm still learning. But I've got three things I want to share with you. Number one, what I've learned as a man is that the sexes, male and female, rise and fall together. They rise and fall together. It's not a fight, it's not a competition. We're all headed in the same direction. And as a Christian, it's almost like you're in the backseat with your sibling, but you are going in the same direction, and you are going to end up in the same place. I think what is important to think about is that the sexes need each other. When one falls, both of them will fall. When one rises, both of them will rise. And I think we need to walk each other home. Walk each other home and complement each other. Almighty God created man and woman as partners in paradise. And that's what we will be. That's what we will be, and that's what we are trying to return to. So the sexes rise and fall together. We're not in competition and it's not a race. Secondly, masculinity is not toxic. Masculinity is not toxic. In fact, I have found that my masculinity, that power, that energy, if you want to call it that, that gets me up in the morning to provide, to protect, to create, is an incredible gift that men have to give. And I don't want the world to make any man think any different. And the greatest of examples is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who, being a man, but gave away power, was selfless, was humble, but firm when he needed to be, firm when he needed to be standing up for what is right and true. And it's this that guides me. If I can channel my masculinity through love, service of others, and humility, I will rise, and so will women and the men around me. Pray God. And lastly, shortly, just to round it up, is that the world needs men. The world needs you. If you are a man and you're listening to this, get up, stand up, be counted. The world needs you. The world needs what you have to give. And I would implore you, encourage you to use your masculinity to protect, to serve, and to love others. In my very short space span of a life, this is what I've learned. And I pray and thank God that there's an example of masculinity, the example of being a man through my religion and faith. And so I might implore you perhaps to go to church. In fact, go to church. Not perhaps. I, as you may know, recently joined the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church offers such a wellspring of knowledge and tools to help not only men, but help people become who they are. And to give. And when I say who they are, that is to be a saint. That is to become a saint that God has created you to be. God loves us where we are, but he also loves us into being the saint that we were created to be. And oh my goodness, am I far off? So I guess no, I don't guess, sorry. I'll get to church, I'll pray, and I will relate to other men in my church on this journey towards and back to paradise as we walk each other home. So may God bless you if you are a man and if you are listening to this and you are a woman, God bless you, and may you bless the men in your life. Sunny Bunani. Thank you for listening to the Sunny Bunana. I see you.