There are a few inevitable thoughts in every man's life. Work, sports, where to go for a guy's night out, and, of course, females. But forgetting all the cynicism men associate with women, there cannot conceivably be any better time for a man than every moment spent with his counterpart gender.
Men must understand their responsibilities when it comes to women. Foremost, we have an obligation to view women as more than objects of sexuality. Women are companions, loyalists, intellectual provocateurs, and ought to be objects of affections far beyond those of a physical nature. There is an inner beauty about them and an unmistakable ability to make a man believe in them in every way. The right woman in a perfect moment truly can give a man butterflies, a feeling to which there is no comparison.
A woman deserves a man's respect, and not just while he is trying to pick her up. She deserves respect not only for the person she is, but for the man she inspires a mate to be. Women should be complimented, surprised with the unexpected show of affection (though never appropriate in public), and apologized to when a misdeed has occurred. A modest display of humility can go a long way. They deserve to have chairs and doors held for them, not because they are themselves unable to perform these acts, but because men ought to show women the respect they have earned.
Men should be reminded of the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson on women. In a romantic life tragically overshadowed by the controversy of Sally Hemings, Jefferson discovered a deeper relationship than a consummately physical one with the women he encountered. He wined and dined women, wrote them in verse of moving words, and generally found satisfaction purely in their company. True intimacy, according to Jefferson, is found in the dining room through conserv-ation rather than in the bedroom. He was right. A man can only really discover a woman's body through sex. But through conversation he can engage her mind, discover her true spirit and explore her inner soul.
Part of the respect men owe women is commitment and faithfulness. A woman should never have to look at her partner with another woman and wonder if there is some sort of affair going on between the two, nor should she ever have to deal with being placed in a position of suspicion. There is an old saying that you can never get in trouble if you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day, and this is generally true. But a man has to mean those words too and a part of that is remaining faithful to the woman of his affection.
The truth is that men need women; the two most important moments of any man's life involve them.
Marriage is an occasion to look forward to because it marks a couple declaring their ultimate devotion to each other. Men tend to joke about marriage, commonly thinking of marriage as the time when they renounce their bachelorhood and their freedom. But it is the right woman who truly sets a man free, so in many ways marriage is the moment when a man gains his freedom. There are more definitions to being free than simply being independent. Sometimes it's more important to find someone who gives you the sort of conversation that frees your mind, or can soothe you at the end of a long day and free you from all the stress in your life. These are the freedoms women can provide, and the sort of intricacies a man should cherish.
The second moment of great importance in a man's life is not so much a moment in life as it is a phase, the fatherhood of his children. Of course, the miracle of birth cannot happen without a woman's efforts. Men have a responsibility to care for the children they create and never abandon the woman who mutually created them. There is no area on which men and women can possibly be greater equals than parenthood; both parents share responsibility, both share the genetic make-up of their child, and both are equally important in determining what type of life their child will live. More than anything, every father owes the mother of his children a tremendous thank you; a thanks for carrying his child for nine months, a thanks for putting up with all the crying and night feeding and a thanks just for being a wonderful mother. Women deserve this.
It is simple to think that somewhere in the midst of everyone's life, fate gives us fairy tales. For men, the truth is even simpler. For the luckiest among us, we will experience one of those moments when the stars align right and a woman comes along who leaves no doubt that angels and princesses do indeed exist. And that is just how men ought to treat and view the women in their lives.
