What Men think of Women

I had a girl friend once who taught me a lot. (A Japanese-American, BTW.) On one occasion I got into a big argument with her (about what, I forget), which ended when, finally, in extreme frustration, I exclaimed, "That's not logical!" "I'm not logical," she replied. I thought, Oh, that's right. Deal with it.

There's no answer for that, but for a man to know himself, who he is, and what he stands for; then she can take it or leave it. If she takes him, she will conform herself to the discipline of his logic--though she'll continue to test him, so he'd better be sure his logic has integrity. If a man has to ask a woman to think for him, it just won't work. If he's so attached/dependent that he's afraid he'll lose her if he stands his ground--gently but firmly--he's already lost anyway. And so is she.

What I'm coming to understand lately is that not only must I know where I stand, but past a certain point it's useless to try to explain or persuade. Just state your position, and let her take it or leave it. "Never argue with a woman" is not just a tired old joke; it's real wisdom. If she's worth your time, she'll come around; if not, don't waste your time. But in order to make this work, we males must be weaned, and few of us are these days.

Another time, another altercation, terminally exasperated, I asked her what she wanted. "I never know what I want until I get it," she said. It was like one of those cartoon light bulbs went on over my head. "Aha," I thought, "there speaks Woman."




Philalethes