I took my 83 year old mother in for cataract surgery this week. After the surgery she was prescribed a cocktail of eye drops that she must take for 3 weeks. I call diligently twice a day to make sure she has administered the drops as prescribed.
I called her this evening to be sure that she had taken her drops. She said “These drops are a pain in the butt!” I replied “Then you are not using them properly!”
DEFINITIVE MAN
Man (man) 1. An adult male human being, as distinguished from a female... characterized by erect posture and opposable thumbs.
This, in part is how the AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE defines "MAN". Nowhere in the definition does it say what a boy must do to become a man, except to become an adult.
In the time of the Roman Empire, a boy reached manhood when he was able to stand up in, and maneuver in a full suit of armor. Having donned armor, it naturally followed that these "MEN" would go into battle, which might seem counterproductive to “Manhood" relative to longevity. It would seem more prudent to aspire to become a Roman Senator, rather than a soldier, and to limit ones battles to those of a verbal nature, thus enhancing the chances of becoming an "old" man some day.
"MAN" is a word, a mere morpheme, which has been given a great deal of power; most often used out of context, and also used to indicate machismo, or courage, i.e. "a man's man", or "he-man". A "she-man" or "he-woman" inspires a different vision...not generally associated with machismo. The word "man" is also used to show the lack of courage by comparison, "Are you a man, or a mouse?” Given the choice between an adult male human being, and a small rodent... perhaps there should be more choices.
The dictionary further defines man as an adult human being, regardless of gender; a notion which ruffles many men, as it implies egalitarianism within the genders, a definite blow to chauvinism.
As if the transition from adolescence to adulthood is not difficult enough, young men seem compelled by historical tradition to display their masculinity. These displays can be observed most commonly in sports; and in their quest for a "mate" (of sorts), manly behavior can be observed in such gathering places as night clubs. These young men can be heard muttering witty prose and competitive posturing (ruffling their plumes).This practice is perhaps the current equivalent to the Neanderthal practice of clubbing a woman over the head, and dragging her back to the cave. Fortunately now, we have evolved enough that there are laws against “clubbing” in the literal sense, and it [clubbing] has become a much more social venture.
For all that mankind has accomplished, from the stone age to the space age and beyond, he has still failed to properly cast the shackles of "MANHOOD"; this label being more a burden than an honor. Surely the best advice here, young men, if your “manhood” is questioned, and you take the anthropological definition literally, all that is required to be a [man] is good posture while hitchhiking!
This, in part is how the AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE defines "MAN". Nowhere in the definition does it say what a boy must do to become a man, except to become an adult.
In the time of the Roman Empire, a boy reached manhood when he was able to stand up in, and maneuver in a full suit of armor. Having donned armor, it naturally followed that these "MEN" would go into battle, which might seem counterproductive to “Manhood" relative to longevity. It would seem more prudent to aspire to become a Roman Senator, rather than a soldier, and to limit ones battles to those of a verbal nature, thus enhancing the chances of becoming an "old" man some day.
"MAN" is a word, a mere morpheme, which has been given a great deal of power; most often used out of context, and also used to indicate machismo, or courage, i.e. "a man's man", or "he-man". A "she-man" or "he-woman" inspires a different vision...not generally associated with machismo. The word "man" is also used to show the lack of courage by comparison, "Are you a man, or a mouse?” Given the choice between an adult male human being, and a small rodent... perhaps there should be more choices.
The dictionary further defines man as an adult human being, regardless of gender; a notion which ruffles many men, as it implies egalitarianism within the genders, a definite blow to chauvinism.
As if the transition from adolescence to adulthood is not difficult enough, young men seem compelled by historical tradition to display their masculinity. These displays can be observed most commonly in sports; and in their quest for a "mate" (of sorts), manly behavior can be observed in such gathering places as night clubs. These young men can be heard muttering witty prose and competitive posturing (ruffling their plumes).This practice is perhaps the current equivalent to the Neanderthal practice of clubbing a woman over the head, and dragging her back to the cave. Fortunately now, we have evolved enough that there are laws against “clubbing” in the literal sense, and it [clubbing] has become a much more social venture.
For all that mankind has accomplished, from the stone age to the space age and beyond, he has still failed to properly cast the shackles of "MANHOOD"; this label being more a burden than an honor. Surely the best advice here, young men, if your “manhood” is questioned, and you take the anthropological definition literally, all that is required to be a [man] is good posture while hitchhiking!
Well, I suppose if I am going to have a blog, I now have the responsibility of updating and keeping it fresh (ugh)
To expand on the original post some background is in order. I was born in the fifties (my parent's fault). It was interesting as I spent most of that time in rural Ontario Canada growing up on farms. I was 9 years old the first time I saw a concrete road, and when we moved to Michigan, I was amazed to find that our next-door neighbors...were actually "next door".
The area I grew up in was easily 3 years behind in news and technology, so when I traveled back to Ontario (almost every weekend) I was seen as a small prophet who knew the future :). Oh, it was an amazement! The town I grew up in had 1 television channel (local) that broadcast for a total of maybe 5 hours a day, and the noon hour broadcast included a reading of the obituaries for the entire county every day. In the new world, we had 3 local channels that covered national news and broadcast for 18 hours a day...how much information is there?
I digress for a moment, but during the 60's, 70's and 80's, we lost JFK, Bobbie, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Sadat...Ford and Reagan were shot (or shot at), and those occurrences alone are greater that the entire murder rate in the county I grew up in for the entire 56 years I have been on this planet.
When Detroit hit its unfortunate stride as the murder capitol hitting 970+ murders in one year, that number equaled 70% of the total population of the town I grew up in.
Back on track. I hit (alleged) adulthood in the 70's having finished school and looked to the larger world for vocation. I was...yes, a hippy; I cared and wanted to make a difference. I was an artist who wanted to teach disabled children and at the time there were no jobs available. With bills to pay, I tried my hand at several occupations (I won't bore you with the long list) and wound up in advertising.
The 80's is a decade I have few fond memories of (except the birth of my son!). I don't want to be critical, but I think I realized that I had become the "elder" part of a generation gap. There were so many thing about the 80's that still confuse me. Big hair, big hair bands, the 10 year coma of real rock & roll, $200 jeans and sneakers...Reagan...what were we thinking?
I will say that another highpoint of the 80's was meeting, falling in love with and marrying (in the 90's) Mariann. My soul mate with whom I grew a very interesting and loving partnership. We lost her in 2005 to pancreatic cancer, and I miss her the same today.
Enough dribble for today. I will catch you up on the 90's and the new millennium another time.
Hi,
Well for whatever reason I decided to post a blog. It is not about politics, opinion, or anything heavy, simply a place to record observations, and by all means you are welcome to comment, post or otherwise tell me I am full of bologna...however, if you get mean, judgemental, or downright rude, your post will be deleted. Have fun and don't be a prick (non-gender specific :))
For my first post, I have been reflective this week influenced by external occurances close to me that heve given way to pause.
I was born in the 50's, spent my formative years on farms on Canada during the 60's ( I was in 4th grade when JFK was murdered, I was working on a farm in Teasewater Ontario when man landed on the moon...and I got my draft notice), and reached early adulthood in the 70's...wish dearly that we could have a do-over for the 80's, raised a family and hit my stride in the 90's, and so far the beginning of the 21st century has been a mixed review.
