tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53121598827906125462024-03-13T10:01:04.953-07:00The SanctuaryLife is a journey. The destination is death. This blog is all about the musings of a sojourner in her thirties, curious about the stops, the fellow passengers, the driver(s), the conditions of travel and the highlights and lowlights. All the while in a place of tranquility: the sanctuary.Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-88860234231480338022015-04-15T02:53:00.000-07:002015-04-15T23:44:47.986-07:00To whom does she belong?A belated Happy Easter to all.<br />
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I wish I could say I was absent from the blog because I wanted to concentrate on Lent, bla bla bla.<br />
:-)<br />
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But that wouldn't be true. In fact I could say that unusually for me this year, my spiritual approach to Lent was far from ideal. But, and I think my Guardian angel must have had something to do with this (thank you, Guardian Angel!) it was a Grace-filled end to the Lenten season for me.<br />
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Isn't it interesting that when we need it the most, we get Grace?<br />
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Speaking of Guardian angels, I was at a wedding recently, and the celebrant priest made this joke:<br />
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A man was walking through his neighbourhood when he came to a bridge over a river. Suddenly, a voice said to him: 'Stop! Don't step onto the bridge!' He looked around - no-one was there. But he stopped. All of a sudden, the bridge collapsed. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised his life had just been saved.<br />
He carried on walking. When he got to the foot of a mountain still with snow on it, again a voice said to him, 'Stop! Don't take another step!' He stood still. Then a mighty avalanche came crashing down just ahead of him. Again he breathed a sigh of relief as he realised that once again, his life had been saved. He carried on walking through the woods. Again the voice warned him just as he was walking under a particular tree. Seconds later, the tree fell down missing him by inches.<br />
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At this point, he wondered who was talking to him and saving his life. He said out loud, 'who are you? Identify yourself!'<br />
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The voice replied, 'I am your Guardian angel. I am always here for you.'<br />
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The man replied, 'You are my Guardian angel? Always here for me? Where were you when I got married?'<br />
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Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.<br />
Very drole :-)<br />
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Not quite sure why men feel that marriage/relationship is such a trial for <em>them </em>only. Where did they get <em>that</em> idea?<br />
:)<br />
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Just heard this morning that Percy Sledge died. May he rest in peace.<br />
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Percy Sledge is of course famous for <em>this</em> song - all about how men suffer when in love:<br />
:)<br />
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Aw, poor Darlings/lovable rogues :-)<br />
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Today's post is about a curious phenomenon I have been thinking about for a while. The impetus for this come from two separate incidents. The first is a commenter on another blog who linked to a Heartiste post about a black man (this is relevant) who when confronted and indeed inappropriately and unjustifiably assaulted by a woman (she happened to be white - not relevant), exclaimed, 'Who bitch dis is?!'<br />
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Translation into normal English: Whose woman is this?<br />
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Now, for many modern women, this display of 'territorialism' may be unpalatable, but I have to say that I am very familiar with this phenomenon - more than is usual for a woman of my era and location.<br />
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The notion that every woman belongs to a man is something I have been immersed in from childhood, and I very much took it for granted. But I am surprised to learn that it is not necessarily a positive concept in our western culture.<br />
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This is undoubtedly a problem when it comes to male-female interaction.<br />
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It is significant that the man in question in this scenario is black. I have many links to West Africa, and I know that this is very much the mindset there. Actually, this is the mindset <em>any where in the world</em> other than Caucasian America. Even in Europe - <em>especially</em> in Europe.<br />
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A girl belongs to her father until she marries, at which point she belongs to her husband.<br />
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But in our present culture where a father is not around/has been removed from the household, this sense of belonging is not imprinted in a girl's mind from birth. What a shame! <br />
For she will seek this, by hook or by crook, in much the same way some boys seek a father-figure through gang culture.<br />
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All sorts of psychological complications ensue when a girl does not get her fair share of this 'sense of belonging', I have discovered. This leads to potential mayhem in her life. Not only is this sequence of events well documented, but also more and more of us are witnessing this in front of our very eyes, are we not?<br />
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And yet, Africans and other 'backward people', including southern Europeans have had this covered, for literally ages.<br />
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I have seen this play out in hilarious encounters when I have witnessed old African women try to work out who a stranger female is by linking her to some man that they themselves know. This is how they compute that this stranger female is 'welcome' into the herd. :-)<br />
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I live in the mountains of Eastern Switzerland. Where I live is a mainly German-speaking area, but there are many old Italian mountain families here too.<br />
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Their customs are delightful to behold, especially when seen 'in the wild', untainted by feminism. It is wonderful to see.<br />
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I was hanging out with a friend of mine when we bumped into an old lady she knows from her village in another mountainous region of Switzerland which is exclusively Italian-speaking. The old lady was curious about me, as I am relatively newly-established here.<br />
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She regarded my friend with a curious look, and regarding me sideways, she asked my friend who I was.<br />
My friend answered with my first name, stating I was a friend.<br />
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The old lady was far from satisfied with the answer my friend had given. In a move reminiscent of similarly aged women in any african country, she asked the heavily-loaded question: <br />
<em>To whom does she belong?</em><br />
Meaning, to which <em>man</em> does she belong? My first name on its own was <em>meaningless</em> to this woman.<br />
:-)<br />
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I silently stood there as my friend gave the necessary genealogy to finally satisfy this old lady. In a hilarious five minutes where I felt like I was in a court for some wrong-doing, my friend first tried giving my surname. <br />
Nope, this woman did not know the particular family to which I belonged, although she knew several other families with the same surname, which happens to be a common surname round here.<br />
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She didn't know my husband, although she came from his village.<br />
<br />
With the skills of someone used to this sort of interrogation, my friend name-dropped my brother-in-law , who is a generally well-known figure.<br />
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Nope, didn't know <em>him</em> either.<br />
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My chances of acceptance into the 'clan' were looking bleak.<br />
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My friend, in an expert move normally associated with Russian chess players, finally made the link that gave the winning strike.<br />
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It turns out that Old Lady was friends with the wife of the brother of the wife of the brother of my husband.<br />
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Hallelujah, I was IN!!!<br />
It took many links to finally 'place' me, but finally, I was IN!!!<br />
;-)<br />
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Now she had a 'box' in her mind in which to categorise me. I was now officially 'recognised'.<br />
:)<br />
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It was an interesting experience for me, in that I felt like I had come through some sort of 'initiation' ceremony. <br />
I (I regret this, lol) relayed this story to a friend, who doesn't hold the rigidly traditional values I hold, and she was absolutely <em>horrified</em>.<br />
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I did not and do not understand her horror. She saw this incident as 'oppression' for me (for had I been a man, I <em>wouldn't</em> have been scrutinised so much. My surname would have been enough, for a man is valued on his own name only), but I disagree with her.<br />
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What my friend fails to realise is that a man must make his name (read: reputation) on which he and his family rely, to advance in society. A woman need only associate herself with a good family, and she is safe. Her own reputation is judged differently, and in a traditional society like this, a woman is mainly judged on her <em>sexual</em> reputation. <br />
If 'so-and-so' was caught in a compromising position with a man to whom she was not married, the gossip alone would drive her out of town and three generations later, they would still be talking about her - that sort of thing.<br />
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The relevance of all this for me, is that fatherhood (and therefore this 'sense of belonging' felt by young unmarried women) is indeed sacred. And the relevance specifically to the SMP is that indeed it is impossible to 'belong' to a husband when one never experienced the 'belonging' to a father. The latter is 'practice' for the former.<br />
In many such traditional entities, it is said that a father is the source of the soul of his child, and the mother is the source of the heart.<br />
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A fatherless child is therefore akin to a <em>soul</em>-less person.<br />
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Harsh? Oh yes. Which is why deliberately denying fatherhood to a child, by his own mother is indeed a cruel thing. A man who also denies his child access to his mother is also creating a child who is missing his <em>heart</em>. That can't be good either.<br />
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It is also why I think in these same traditional societies, the 'taking on of the name of the father' (in the event of a child's parents not being married) is so important. It is a great insult to the child if his father does not give him his name in many african cultures, for example. <br />
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Similarly, the taking on of the name of a husband is fundamental to marriage, in my opinion. This is why I am dead against wives not taking on their husband's surname. It screams 'division' as opposed to 'harmony' from the get-go and is a signal this will not be a fulfilled/constructive union. It also signifies an absence of 'belonging'. In the example above with the old lady, my maiden name would have been just as useless to Old Lady as my first name. A woman's maiden name is no longer relevant, except in rare circumstances where it needs to be 'dug' out for a specific purpose, eg. a paternal legacy that wasn't dealt with pre-marriage.<br />
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What an eye-opening experience for me. Old Lady taught me a big lesson which I think is getting lost more and more in our modern culture. A shame, because it is quite a beautiful lesson. <br />
I think those who adhere to these general principles are more 'settled' in their skins than those who choose to reinvent the wheel at every opportunity.<br />
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I have said many times before. I am not fussy from whence cometh my lessons. 'To whom does she belong?' is so much more refined than 'Who bitch dis is?' but to me, the lesson is more important than the grammar.<br />
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Interesting that shortly after I came across that blog post by Heartiste, I actually came face -to-face with the phenomenon he described. Art imitating life, or the other way round. :-)<br />
Interesting indeed.<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-75769499716181695932015-02-17T12:10:00.002-08:002015-02-18T13:15:41.108-08:00The tragedy of St.Valentine's DayIt is not really clear to me <em>why</em> this is, but it seems to be very much the case:<br />
Introverted people are often perceived not to have feelings. To be devoid of emotion.<br />
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So when once in a blue moon, an introverted person shows <em>some</em> emotion, everyone gets a surprise. :-)<br />
Yes, the problem is, when Mr.or Ms. Introversion decides to let rip, it is usually akin to a volcanic eruption. :-)<br />
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I remember when I was a child, a teacher at school asked me, 'why are you Catholic?'<br />
Given that it <em>was</em> a Catholic school, I felt justified in answering, 'cos everyone around me is'.<br />
Looking back, that was quite a lame answer.<br />
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Why a religion?<br />
Nowadays, in accordance with my new-found Red Pill faith, I would answer differently:<br />
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'Religion provides a good infrastructure for 'reframing'.'<br />
'Cos this is one of the skills of life. One we all badly need in this modern world, I believe.<br />
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Over the course of blogging, I have come to notice that some commenters take on certain personas which is unique to them, and forge a relationship with the blogger based on this unique persona. It is quite an entertaining phenomenon. :-)<br />
I notice this sort of interaction between blogger and commenter on almost every blog I visit, so I know this is of course not unique to this blog.<br />
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Speaking of commenters, I would just like to say that newcomer Mortan has brought me many great insights via his visit to the <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/01/mgtow-good-or-bad-for-women.html?showComment=1424196866684" target="_blank">MGTOW</a> post. In particular, his words about the phenomenon that is 'contentment' has prompted me to look into this further. I was going to post about this...<br />
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But as is usual with me, I got distraced by a comment from someone else.<br />
This someone else is 'Live Free or Die'.<br />
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LFOD has, I think, assumed the role of 'court jester' here. My reaction to his comments tend to range from something between 'yeah, whatever, mate' in response to his boundary-pushing hyperbole, to 'oh no, he <em>didn't</em> just say that!' in response to his more outlandishly outrageous posts (Answer being, of course, yes he <em>did</em> just say that). :-)<br />
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Exchanging friendly fire is good for the soul, or something to that effect. :-)<br />
I welcome commenters like LFOD, because I realise that I learn a lot from them. Not to talk of incredibly entertaining.<br />
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This latest comment, however, from LFOD, unleashed an emotion in me that I did not really expect to feel.<br />
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<em>"Happy MGTOW Day everyone!<br /><br />No dinners bought today.<br />No jewelry bought today.<br />No flowers bought today.<br />No chocolate bought today.<br />No wine bought today.<br />No cards bought today.<br /><br />No obligations to anyone or anything.<br /><br />Live Free or Die!"</em><br />
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I was just about to (robot-style) respond (with my usual attitude) to him:<br />
'Happy MGTOW Day to you too, LFOD. Enjoy.'<br />
But something stopped me.<br />
I thought, <em>not this time</em>.<br />
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This whole post is of course <em>unsolicited</em>.<br />
But that's just it. <em>No-one</em> wants to ask for this sort of rant from a stranger. :-)<br />
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This is not personal to LFOD. In fact, from this point onwards, let's all have a frank discussion about this, only referring to LFOD where absolutely necessary.<br />
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Back to childhood...<br />
Back to the playground:<br />
Boy A has a scuffle with Boy B and ends up 'winning' Boy B's shirt. Boy A tries on Boy B's shirt and finds it doesn't fit. Boy A then sulks off to another child, let's say, a girl, and complains to her that Boy B's shirt doesn't fit.<br />
She doesn't get it. To his constant reminders that he won the shirt 'fair and square', all she can say is, 'but it's not <em>yours</em>! Wouldn't it be better if you returned Boy B's shirt to Boy B and you just wear your <em>own</em> shirt?'<br />
The girl does not get it because perhaps she is not meant to. She doesn't understand the complex rules by which Boy A and Boy B are playing.<br />
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But <em>this</em> girl does. Which is why she feels the raw emotion of deep sadness. In typical exaggerated hyperbole (to resort to tautology!) she would call it a <em>tragedy</em>.<br />
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Yes, Boy B is analogous to mainsteam media/current culture/feminism/whatever. Boy A and the girl need no introduction, I hope.<br />
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Why would anyone take on the views of someone else and whine to a third party that it does not sit well with them?<br />
Who told LFOD that Valentine's Day is all about wining and dining a lady and bringing her flowers, chocolate and diamonds?<br />
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And more importantly, <em>why</em> did he buy into this harmful piece of information?<br />
To conform?<br />
To comply?<br />
Because he had no other solution?<br />
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But there is<em> always</em> another solution.<br />
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Some people know when the are being taken for a ride. They shrug their shoulders and go along for the ride anyway. Others in the same boat have <em>no idea</em> what's happening...until...they finally wake up... when the vehicle they are in...crashes.<br />
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Someone won the booby prize (considering it was won from Mama Feminism, this is not a bad pun!) and now doesn't like his winnings.<br />
Someone should give back the shirt that doesn't fit. <em>It is not his</em>. It will never fit.<br />
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St. Valentine's Day is a <em>religious</em> festival. Like Christmas, or Easter, or the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul.<br />
It was never meant to be hijacked by our materialistic society for the gains of chocolate makers or florists.<br />
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If we buy that lie, that it is a day to give women cards or seven course meals, it is our fault for absorbing bad information.<br />
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St. Valentine was a Catholic priest who sought to take a stance against a cruel emperor who was so keen to win wars that he made it a law that no man should marry in order not to 'distract' them from fighting. Emperor Caludias wanted to make every man a MGTOW whether he liked it or not. :-)<br />
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St. Valentine knew there were men and women in his diocese who <em>wanted</em> to marry. So he married them, in secret. For this cime, he was imprisoned, tortured and eventually decapitated.<br />
But before dying, he healed the (blind) daughter of one of his jailors, and his very last words were to her, in a note he signed off with the words, 'from your Valentine'.<br />
Cue the association with romantic love. :-)<br />
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St. Valentine, much like <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/06/the-hunt-for-patron-saint-of-mgtow-is.html" target="_blank">St. Jerome</a> must be turning over in his grave by now. He made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that the young people of his era received one of the most enriching sacraments of life. St. Jerome warned <em>against</em> marriage, of course - but only for those who were not ready for it, I conclude. These two saints teach us a lot about real love, and not the 'fairies in a cloud' variety that is sold to the general public in bucket-loads on one day in mid-February.<br />
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Instead of absorbing what is routinely sold to us in the mainstream media, and then moan about it, why don't we see things for what they really are? Why don't we 're-frame'?<br />
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Why don't we stop this rot by re-framing in our own minds what is right?<br />
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What is wrong with going to a lecture on St. Valentine, on St. Valentine's Day?<br />
What is wrong with going to Mass on St. Valentine's Day and praying that the love which St. Valentine had for his fellow man would be bestowed on us too?<br />
What is wrong with asking a girl to 'be your Valentine' without giving her a truckload of shiny objects?<br />
What is wrong with a woman giving a man something, no matter how small, on St. Valentine's Day?<br />
What is wrong with a kind act towards a stranger <em>because</em> it is for the love of St. Valentine, on St. Valentine's Day?<br />
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Answer: nothing.<br />
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Gentlemen, feminism may have taken over in a big way, but it is still <em>your</em> duty to...<br />
Civilise us!<br />
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Honestly, we implore you... <br />
<em>You</em> show the way, <em>you</em> decide how an important feast day is to be celebrated, <em>you</em> lead the way.<br />
I promise you, we women will follow.<br />
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If you fail to take the lead, we ladies are left scratching our heads and wondering where all the good men went...<br />
:-)<br />
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<u>Important note</u>:<br />
This post is not, I hope the violation of Nature that one might conclude it is. I am not telling you men <em>what</em> to do, really...and certainly not <em>how</em> to do it...I am just throwing a favourite catch-phrase of mine around...:-)<br />
My hamster spins it thus: I am reacting emotionally to what LFOD may see as a triumphant 'throwing down of the gauntlet', but which I (being of the feminine persuasion) see oh so <em>very</em> differently.<br />
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I mean well though. I hope that much is clear.<br />
Sometimes, (I think), it is better to show someone why he is not a victim, than to commiserate with his perceived victimhood. I hope this post achieves the former and not the latter.<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-1557057334653728082015-01-15T07:38:00.003-08:002015-01-15T09:55:42.085-08:00Don't cha wish your girlfriend was…Hot like this?<br />
Cool like this?<br />
Freak like this?<br />
Fun like this?<br />
Fly like this?<br />
Fine like this?<br />
Raw like this?<br />
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The pussycat dolls ask an important question…(I added some of my own adjectives by the way:-)<br />
(May be NSFW)<br />
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<i>Modest</i> like this?</div>
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<i>Chaste </i>like this?</div>
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<i>Feminine</i> like this?</div>
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<i>Huh?</i></div>
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This post will be a short one, and is really a 'film review'.<br />
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I came across this delightful film recently, and liked it very much. In the aftermath of the 'Charlie Hebdo' massacres, it is a very important confirmation to me that it is one of the tasks of women (not men) to 'socialize' the world.<br />
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If two women from very different (and indeed opposing) cultures can get together like this, and unite just two families, imagine what could happen when larger groups of women form friendships like this.<br />
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But alas, it could be a more complicated issue than I make it out to be…<br />
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The full movie is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUALZ81S1ak" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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I like these two young women. They make my heart sing :-)</div>
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Each is beautiful in her own way, but neither feels the need to flaunt her beauty. It is there for all to see despite the modest clothing.</div>
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The pussy cat dolls are also beautiful. But their beauty seems to be 'in yer face'. I am sure men don't mind this :-) but this aggressive display of one's assets detracts from femininity somewhat, in my opinion.</div>
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In my search for examples of young women who 'make my heart sing', it seems a shame that I am yet to find a Catholic/Christian one who ain't already a nun...or a Duggan :-).</div>
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I shall keep looking, and in the meantime delight in my Jewish and Muslim sisters doing a good job of upholding the feminine standard. :-)</div>
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(If anyone has good examples of Christian girls behaving well, please send them my way. Go on, make my heart sing!)</div>
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The other point about this movie is that it shows my idea of <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/06/h-y-p-e-r-g-m-y-find-out-what-it-means.html" target="_blank">'hypergamy'</a> to a tee. These two young ladies are from cultures where a marriage has to be approved by Dad, as a rule. Often <i>arranged</i> by Dad, (and Mum and the jenta, with the input of various aunties, lol) with some (read: only a little!) choice on the part of the girl. <br />
And yet, neither of these two was going to settle for just anyone :-)<br />
Poor old Nasira was sickened to come to the realisation that that old guy from Syria who had come to dinner was actually a suitor...for <em>her</em>. He was even older than her father!<br />
I sympathise...Sure, that man would have been a good provider and all...but is provision <em>all</em> there is to marriage? <br />
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In the case of Rochel, it really was getting to the point where her parents were beginning to think it would be impossible to get her married off. Fussy? Understatement. This girl was the <em>queen</em> of fastidiousness :-)<br />
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Both girls wanted the best for themselves. Perfectly normal. As indeed should any<em> person</em>, male or female.<br />
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But…this 'quest for the best' stopped when they got married. This is how it should be. <br />
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Ceer came to my rescue in <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/12/she-makes-my-heart-sing.html" target="_blank">this</a> post when I was trying to sell Game to a (latent) Game practitioner. Kind of like selling ice to an eskimo who doesn't see the value of ice :-)<br />
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Ceer said this:<br />
<em>When a woman says "I want a nice man", what she is really saying is:<br />"I want a man I find attractive who might also be nice from time to time."</em> <br />
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I had previously said this:<br />
<em>[Re 'wanting a 'nice man'] What this means is, when she no longer has anything worthy to offer, she'll settle for the 'nice man' who has waited his turn patiently for years.</em><br />
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The reason we are both right is that, it <em>depends</em> on the woman who is talking.<br />
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If it is a woman like these two in the video above, then Ceer's statement applies.<br />
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If it is a woman like the woman below, then my statement applies, and even then, she won't treat him (nice man) well, as this video shows. I therefore agree with men who advise other men thus: Never ever be the 'nice man' for <em>this</em> type of woman.<br />
It is of course perfectly OK to be a 'nice man' for the first type of woman, to whom Ceer's statement applies. Because you know she is already <em>truly</em> attracted to you, as opposed to 'settling' for you.<br />
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I shall let the narrator explain below just how unbelievably spoilt, and silly, the woman below is…<br />
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The mind truly boggles, as the judge demonstrates…<br />
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Heavens above, some people just do not know they are born.<br />
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Incredible...to the nth degree!<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-19418359204465292492015-01-07T04:55:00.000-08:002015-01-07T04:59:50.101-08:00Misogyny, I tell you!<em>Edit: Happy New Year, everyone!</em><br />
<em>I had this post ready well before Christmas, but decided it was way too dark for the spirit of 'yuletide' which officially ended yesterday with the celebration of 'Epiphany'.</em><br />
<em>So now I feel comfortable discussing this rather unpleasant topic.</em><br />
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A long time ago, I wondered why it never says anywhere in the The Good Book , "Thou shalt not hate".<br />
Now, I am no bible scholar. I <em>don't</em> actually know if it <em>doesn't</em> say "Thou shalt not hate", but I am pretty sure those exact words are not stated anywhere in the Bible.<br />
But what I <em>do</em> know, is that we are <em>invited</em> not to hate, in many instances in the Bible.<br />
From the Fifth Commandment on, we are an invited not to hate.<br />
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5.<em> Honor your father and your mother</em> (don't hate on your parents).<br />
6.<em>You shall not murder</em> (don't hate on your fellow man).<br />
7.<em>You shall not commit adultery</em> (don't hate on your spouse).<br />
8.<em>You shall not steal</em> (don't hate on your fellow man).<br />
9.<em>You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor</em> (don't hate on your neighbour).<br />
10.<em>You shall not covet</em> (don't hate on your neighbour).<br />
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And the first 4 commandments?<br />
All about 'don't hate <em>God</em>'.<br />
<ol>
<li><em>You shall have no other gods before Me, for I am a jealous God</em> (don't hate on Me)</li>
<li><em>You shall not make idols</em> (don't hate on Me).</li>
<li><em>You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain</em> (don't hate on Me).</li>
<li><em>Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy</em> (don't hate on My special day).</li>
</ol>
:-)<br />
In other words, you better not de-friend Him on Facebook. Or else!<br />
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And the greatest commandment of all?<br />
"Love thy neighour as yourself".<br />
Read: don't hate on your neighbour=don't hate on yourself.<br />
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With the above in mind, I have come to the conclusion that <em>any</em> hate is all about a degree of <em>self</em>-hate.<br />
Yes, there are indeed people who truly hate themselves, with all the gravity that this serious affliction comes with.<br />
But they are <em>rare</em>.<br />
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I hereby postulate that any word that begins with 'mis-' is actually a rarity, and includes a measure of self-hate, or at least an <em>absence</em> of self-love.<br />
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Nothing below can be proved. But with my own pitiful level of reasoning (as much as I can muster anyway!), I believe this makes sense.<br />
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Misogyny is<em> rare</em> (and certainly it is not as prevalent that feminists would have us believe).<br />
And while I am about it, I shall touch on why I think it is in the interests of certain people (cough, cough, feminists) to give <em>women</em> the impression that misogyny is <em>rampant </em>in our culture, and worse, that it is on the rise. Other than to feed the 'victim culture' troll, that is.<br />
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My first task in this post is to be clear what I mean by 'misogyny'.<br />
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As I hope will become clearer and clearer, I do not use the common definition of 'hatred of women' because I think it is a deeper matter than that.<br />
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For me, misogyny is really about an absence of love, or hate, of <em>the feminine</em>.<br />
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This is crucially important, and is the clue as to why 1) Misogyny is rare, and 2) it makes perfect sense to me as to why this agenda <em>has</em> to be pushed in order to annihilate male-female relations.<br />
So, throughout this post, even when I say 'woman' or 'women', I still mean <em>the feminine</em>.<br />
(Female logic for you! :-)<br />
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1. To hate women, (which is what true misogynists do) you have to hate <em>women</em>. So, Man X who hates a particular woman Y, is not a misogynist. It is the <em>plurality</em> of it that counts.<br />
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So I disagree that, for example, men who have 'complaints' about particular women in their lives are necessarily misogynistic. Sure, they have the <em>potential</em> to become misogynistic, but that's a story of 'further down the road'.<br />
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2. Consider the following two scenarios:<br />
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a. The good-looking and rich young man looked on as the lovebirds shared a smooch in the open-top sportscar by the beach. He felt it again, this annoying feat of Nature that always reminded him that he was a failure. This physiological reaction beyond his control that always ensured that his yearning for feminine comforts will never be sated unless he literally takes things into his own hands. He thought once again, and surely, this would be the last time: 'what is it that that guy has and I don't? Why am I a virgin and he is clearly not?'<br />
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The next day he drove around town shooting anyone who crossed his path. Then he shot himself in the head.<br />
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b. A man in his 40s looked around him. Material things abound, he thought. He looked at his bank statement. Not bad at all. He could feed a family of six on what he earned, no problem. He stood up and went to the mirror, shirt off. A tall, toned physique looked back at him. He shook his head. What had he done wrong in his life? Or more to the point, 'what is it with these stupid b*tches that none of them would take up the incredibly good deal that he had to offer?'<br />
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The next day he walked into a female-only gym and fatally wounded as many women as he could. Then he fatally wounded himself.<br />
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The life-stories of both of these men were plastered all over the press after they committed their heinous acts of hate. Both of these men demonstrated a high level of self-hate, yes. They lacked a basic level of self-love required to stay alive, sure.<br />
But, I ask you: were they misogynists?<br />
I say no.<br />
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But they killed women! (And men, in the case of the former).<br />
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I take you on a little diversion...<br />
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There are many things that make feminism deplorable to me. And for this reason, it annoys me no end when I find myself agreeing with things feminists say, even if for different reasons from them.<br />
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For instance, I am in favour of education for women, and yes, even college education (but for entirely different reasons from why feminists want the same thing).<br />
I agree entirely with feminists that rape is worse than death (but for entirely different reasons from why feminists say this).<br />
In this vein, (and now my Catholic head comes up for air, lol), I have also always believed that divorce is also worse than death (hmm, strangley enough, I am yet to lock horns with a feminist on this issue - interesting!).<br />
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It wasn't until I saw the following video (the first 15 minutes or so) that I was able to see why my initial hunch was the right one.<br />
This pastor goes into the etymology of the word 'divorce' in military terms. This man is after my own heart! for it is surely no secret that etymology is a guilty pleasure of mine :-). <br />
May he rest in peace. He died (along with his dear wife of thirty years) in a helicopter crash a couple of months ago.<br />
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The point I am trying so hard to make is that in the context of 'hate', there <em>are</em> things much much worse than death. No innocent bystander should lose their life because Mr. X can't get laid, of course, don't get me wrong.<br />
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The reason the above two men are not misogynists are two-fold. And both of these points are based around 'knowledge'.<br />
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To be a misogynist, one must <em>know</em> women. It is for this reason that I think a virginal man<em> cannot</em> be a misogynist. It is not enough to know a woman 'from a distance'. The men who can say for sure that they <em>know</em> women are those men who have spent a<em> lot</em> of time in close proximity with women. These men are usually not virgins :-)<br />
The Don Juans and Casanovas of this world are much more capable of truly hurting women than the average 'beta' man on the street. And these men (and frankly the rest of us come to think of it) know that living life when you would rather be dead is worse than dying. That our collective fear of death is negligible compared with our collective fear of living a <em>living death</em>. That for years, victims of heinous crimes have petitioned <em>against </em>the death penalty for a reason. <br />
Death (depending on the context, of course) is not the 'bad guy' it is billed to be. This is precisely why the two men above had to end their lives. Dying is easier when you have a pain that won't go away. Inflicting death on the objects of their displeasure was an opportunistic by-product that they <em>must</em> have known would not eliminate their own feelings of torment. Death, to them, was a way out <em>for themselves</em>. Death could not have been a suitable 'punishment' for someone innocent who doesn't even know the cause for which they lose their life.<br />
People who die in this way, at the hands of others, so innocently, actually die in a state of grace, in the 'Catholic' sense. This means, they die blessed. It is said that whatever sins they may stand judgment for, are erased, such that their murderer takes on these sins.<br />
(This is what I have heard in this context - if someone in the know on such doctrine wants to elaborate on this, they are very welcome to do so). <br />
So, these men, although tragically prematurely ended the lives of others, in the grand scheme of things, if what I heard is correct, have done them (personally) an eternal favour rather than 'punish' them in any way. In this way, they both resemble petulant children (I will do 'X' even though I know that 'X' won't make me feel better, won't solve my problem or make things whole again, but I will do 'X' because I can't or won't find a better solution').<br />
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A true misogynist wants his victim <em>alive</em>. So these two unfortunate men were not misogynists. They were gravely <em>misguided </em>in their thinking. As in fatally misguided. Their crime was not misogyny because they were not in a position to know women. And in fact, both sought this, with no success. That was the problem. One could say that they died of ignorance. Literally.<br />
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Am I saying that it follows that a knowledge of women (which in effect is really what 'Game' is) could (at least in theory) increase the chances of a man becoming truly misogynistic?<br />
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But yes, of course!<br />
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But I have two thoughts on this:<br />
i. Having 'plurality' and 'knowledge' does not a sandwich make, or something to that effect.<br />
There is a third element necessary to create a misogynist.<br />
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ii. It is a risk we have to take. Everyone is endowed with free will, courtesy of God. It is up to us what we do with our 'knowledge'. It is for this reason that I a still an advocate of Game even though I know what the (unintended or undesirable) consequences could be. (I see you, Metak, stop rolling your eyes :-)<br />
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Before I embark on the final element required for misogyny, I hope it is already all-too-clear that the best candidate for misogyny therefore is....women!<br />
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I know you know this, but as it is part of the topic at hand, I shall mention it nonetheless. The average woman is more <em>capable</em> of being a misogynist than the average man.<br />
This is not to say of course that she <em>will</em>. Element number three needs to be in place before she will.<br />
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As men relate well to one another's experiences, and therefore to one another, so women relate to one another. As I alluded to 'M' <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/08/a-tale-of-two-ms.html" target="_blank">here</a>, two women (even strangers) can immediately 'see into each other's souls'. It's not that difficult. It's a human thing. In particular, every woman can see the dark side of another woman very well.<br />
This, by the way is why I assert that <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/04/spacetravellers-law.html" target="_blank">'Spacetraveller's law'</a> must be true: <br />
In general, men don't listen to what a woman has to say. <br />
*Shrug*. There are sound reasons for this. Admittedly...<br />
But there is one <em>huge</em> exception: if you, as a man, bring home a woman and your mother/sister/female cousin/ aunt/ any woman who has your best interests at heart says to you: 'I have a bad feeling about this one...' she is almost certainly right. She is not nearly so accurate if she is saying 'Ah, this one is a <em>good</em> one, marry her immediately!' Here, the chances of her being right are exactly the same as if left to chance alone - around 50-50.<br />
But if this woman who cares about you says, 'watch out, there is something about this one I can't put my finger on, but things ain't right with her'... this is the best warning you will ever get. This is one occasion your ears (and eyes) must be wide open.<br />
Women know each other well, especially each other's dark side.<br />
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And every woman knows what's good for her fellow woman. Or at least, <em>should</em> know.<br />
So what is good for a woman?<br />
The preacher above, in one of his videos describes this beautifully. He made my heart sing :-).<br />
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He said that women are 'incubators' by nature.<br />
Huh? Isn't that what they put premature babies in for a few weeks until they can breathe unaided?<br />
:-)<br />
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Absolutely. A device that gives life/nourishes/nurtures/develops another.<br />
Beautiful description of the essence of femininity, if you ask me...<br />
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The preacher went on to give examples.<br />
"You give her ingredients, she gives you back a meal".<br />
"You give her a house, she gives you back a home".<br />
You give her your seed, she gives you back a baby".<br />
:-)<br />
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Most women want to have a chance to be incubators, with all of the above functions, in a safe and secure environment, which a man provides.<br />
There are several ways she can be deflected from this end-point.<br />
A true misogynist will make sure that as many women as possible <em>are</em> deflected from the end-point that God intended for them.<br />
A true female misogynist was likely a bad 'incubator' herself. And now she wants younger women to be the same.<br />
Bad incubators got a house - they trashed it literally and metaphorically.<br />
Instead of a (life-giving) meal, they will feed you poison. (Another small digression here, but I kid you not when I say that I once watched a documentary about divorced people wreaking 'cold revenge' havoc on their ex-souses. Some were somewhat funny, like the woman who cut off the sleeves off her ex-husband's exclusive collection of high-end suits, and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2508238/Strip-club-owner-buys-house-door-ex-wife--installs-giant-middle-finger-statue-lawn.html" target="_blank">this</a> man.<br />
But the one that left <em>me</em> cold was the woman who invited her ex-husband to a dinner-party for one, and served him one of her special pies, which he had apparently loved throughout their fairly long marriage. Except on this occasion, it was full of dog excrement. The man ate it all and thanked his ex-wife profusely for what he called 'a lovely trip down memory lane'.<br />
No. <br />
If you cannot give food to someone you have come to hate so much, don't offer them food.<br />
Food is supposed to be life-giving.<br />
The whole point about an incubator is that it helps you to 'get back on your feet'. It is life-giving.<br />
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'Knowledge' is important here.<br />
This is why I think young, enthusiastically vigorous feminists are so much less harmless than their older counterparts.<br />
Young Germaine Greer wannabe, harmless troublemaker.<br />
Old Germaine Greer has-been, dangerous woman.<br />
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Why?<br />
Because the young one doesn't yet know the ill-effects of feminism. She bought the by-line and is mindlessly following suit.<br />
By the time she is old and finds out that all her campaigning has led to nothing more than a regretable situation for herself personally, and for society at large, <em>if she continues</em> to peddle what she is now regretting, she is a true misogynist.<br />
There are good women out there who warn others: <br />
"I had an abortion and I live to regret it every day. Don't do what I did."<br />
"I divorced my (good) husband for frivolous reasons, and now I see the error of my ways."<br />
"I was very promiscuous as a young woman, and now I feel shame every time I look at the man I married (who 'waited')."<br />
I have actually read stories like these. No joke.<br />
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These women are good souls, and are doing a good thing. Long may they continue.<br />
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Element three is, <em>in addition to</em> having plurality and knowledge under one's belt, one also has the <em>wilful intent</em> to hurt.<br />
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So, in this sense, even if old Germaine Greer does not <em>intend</em> to cause harm by spreading harmful rubbish around, even <em>she</em> is not a misogynist.<br />
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Seasoned woman-haters know what they are doing. And they can be extremely effective at what they do. They are to be feared.<br />
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And at the same time they are to be pitied.<br />
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Because they show an appalling level of <em>self</em>-hate.<br />
Remember that I insist that misogyny really means 'hatred of 'the feminine'?<br />
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In each of us, there is masculine and feminine, the 'anima' or 'energy' or 'ying and yang'. Normal women have much more of the feminine than the masculine. Normal men have much more of the masculine than the feminine.<br />
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True misogynists hate everything that reminds them of 'the feminine', including the part of themselves that they recognise as 'the feminine'.<br />
I hereby postulate (by this logic) that a true misogynist would not be able to abide phenomena that we all recognise as 'feminine' for sustained periods of time, if at all.<br />
For instance, Nature is widely believed to have feminine qualities (and not just because Nature tends to be cyclical, eg. in the sense of The Seasons, lol), hence 'Mother Nature'.<br />
For this reason, everything about these people must be 'artificial'. They are heavily invested in 'Science and Technology' and have an unreasonable and unhealthy desire to overrule Nature at all cost.<br />
True misogynists, I postulate, do not like other men, for to destroy women is to destroy what other men might find pleasurable/useful/enjoyable/likeable - potentially.<br />
(Yes, I know that this last statement is laughable without the last key word - <em>potentially</em>).<br />
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Thankfully, (I believe) that the numbers of these people are low, and will remain low because their lives are literally not compatible with life.<br />
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Misandry? That's another post, but I feel unqualified to discuss it somehow. But I will ponder that subject and post my thoughts on it if there is enough interest.<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-31775271076019667122014-12-04T10:01:00.001-08:002014-12-04T11:58:01.201-08:00She makes my heart singAh, don't you just love consumerism :-)<br />
With Christmas coming up, this beast rears its ugly head once again :-)<br />
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From the first day I saw the following advert, an unfortunate association occurred...<br />
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Now I cannot hear this musical…<br />
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or a documentary like this...<br />
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without thinking about...chocolate!<br />
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Ticked off as I am that I have encumbered myself with a Pavlovian response that I cannot seem to stave off other than to<em> not</em> book an African safari anytime soon, it begs the question: just <em>how</em> do they do it? (The 'programming', I mean). <br />
Or is this something that one does to oneself, aided and abetted by the materialistic society we live in? <br />
How <em>does</em> one wean oneself off from such unwholesome 'conditioning' whilst simultaneously living in the West?<br />
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Weird associations aside, the silver lining is that it is from this same advert that I acquired a favourite catchphrase of mine.<br />
Whenever something pleases me immensely, I express this with the phrase 'it makes my heart sing'.<br />
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I found a reason for my heart to sing recently.<br />
A reason to have hope in the current SMP.<br />
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All is not lost.<br />
At least not yet.<br />
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I have mentioned before that I do find gems in unusual places. This is no exception.<br />
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I came across a new blog recently. It is not the blog <em>per se</em> which interests me (although it is interesting for sure!) but a particular video I saw on that blog.<br />
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The blog is called 'Goldmund Unleashed', and is run by an American man who practises Game - a lot.<br />
Goldmund is a man who is clearly confident in himself and is successful in the SMP.<br />
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I am happy for Goldmund, of course.<br />
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But it is not <em>Goldmund</em> I am interested in, for this post. In his latest post, he interviews a woman who used to be his room-mate. He and this woman clearly have a beautiful friendship and he describes her as 'family' in the post.<br />
The warmth between them does come across very well in the interview (which spans two short videos - <a href="http://goldmundunleashed.com/interview-hot-ex-roommate-like-live-player/" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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Why would this woman 'make my heart sing'?<br />
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Several reasons:<br />
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1) She is clearly a very smart woman. By this, I mean that she is a <em>sensible</em> woman. This woman is the very embodiment of what every young woman should be, in my humble opinion. She thinks deeply, and has a very clear insight into a lot of issues which matter. Frighteningly for Goldmund (and I think this is - paradoxically - one of the reasons he may be fond of her), she has a great deal of insight into <em>him</em>.<br />
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2) She is a pleasant woman. Sweet, but not <em>soppily</em> so. It occurs to me now watching the video how rare this feature is becoming, so it really warms the cockles of my heart whe I see this in action.<br />
Even though she is (unsurprisingly!) 'disgusted' with his private life, she is still pleasant about it, because a) she recognises that it is <em>his</em> life and not hers, and he is free to live his life as he so chooses, and b) I think she also accept that men are wired differently, so she refuses to judge him even though his lifestyle is not what she would choose for herself. I really like this 'live and let live' attitude she adopts towards him. She is not a prude, but that does not mean that she 'high-fives' him about his lifestyle, falsely. She is refreshingly honest, but within boundaries that respect his autonomy for his own life. I like that very much, and I can see that he respects her for it.<br />
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3) I already touched on this. But it should be repeated.<br />
Whilst she is 'nice' she is also 'not too nice'.<br />
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'Niceness' is a bit of a two-edged sword, for both men and women. It is a good thing, until it is not. I think you all know what I mean. This woman is nice, which is why Goldmund likes her. But she is (brutally) honest as well. She is not a supplicating, 'pleaser'. Very important quality in a woman.<br />
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One might argue that she does not need to be nice to <em>Goldmund</em>, because she is not romantically linked to Goldmund.<br />
Fair point.<br />
But traits are traits. In the end, we treat everyone the same whether or not we are trying to impress them, because old habits die hard, as they say. It is therefore almost certain that she is just as honest with her boyfriend (or husband?) as she is being with Goldmund here.<br />
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4) Her mannerisms are very feminine. She is a naturally pretty woman (if she is wearing make-up, it is light and not 'heavy' in a way that I see all too commonly) and her 'inner beauty' shines through to the outside. She smiles a lot, and she engages well with Goldmund to whom she is speaking. She may not be necessarily a 'people person' (is this shorthand for 'extrovert?) but she has this <em>je ne sais quoi</em> quality which makes people feel welcome in her presence. I know that introverts seek this quality in anyone they approach, and extroverts thrive on it :-)<br />
She could talk to anyone, this woman. I wonder if she is a teacher? Teachers often has this quality in abundance...<br />
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5) I like how this woman is free of what I have now come to recognise as 'low-level misandry'. Bellita and I discuss this 'man-hate' a lot, particularly in this <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/07/manhaters.html" target="_blank">post</a>.<br />
This woman cares about Goldmund in a way that is unusual for non-siblings/non-romantically-involved. This point is perhaps related to point 2 above, but only marginally, I think. She is genuinely happy for him that he seems to have 'found himself' in the time-period that she has known him.<br />
This is <em>gold</em> - for Goldmund (excuse the pun, lol).<br />
So many women are poisoned with 'man-hate' from the crib onwards that this genuine type of friendship - let alone love - is really not possible between the sexes anymore. Tragic.<br />
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So Goldmund's ex-room-mate makes my heart sing for her genuine love for another human being, who happens to be male. <br />
This reminds me of a phrase in italian. <em>'Ti voglio bene'</em> which literally means 'I wish you well' is one way to say 'I love you'. Isn't that beautiful? This takes me back to a previous post on this blog, about love, in particular the <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/01/this-caritas-business-what-it-mean.html" target="_blank">'caritas'</a> kind. Love, or caritas, requires a certain generosity of spirit, which I can see this woman possesses in abundance.<br />
By implication, I can bet with certainty that she has a genuine love for women too. The clue for this, I pick up when she mentions that she feels sorry for one of the women Goldmund had a fling with (?one night stand?).<br />
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And here I take a short diversion and vent my frustration at those people (aherm, looking squarely at feminists, cough cough) who fling the word 'misogyny' about like a frisbee.<br />
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Misogyny is a word that has come to mean anything and everything these days.<br />
But what it is not, is denying women their 'empowerment'.<br />
It is <em>not</em> taking away their 'freedom'.<br />
It is most certainly <em>not</em> thwarting their desire for 'adventure'.<br />
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If all of the above desires leads to her (self-) destruction, and someone has enough love for a woman to divert her from said path to doom, let us not call this 'pulled back from the brink manoeuvre' - <em>misogyny</em>.<br />
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There <em>is</em> such a thing as misogyny. Oh yes. But it is presented as a 'friend' of womanhood, until it becomes all too clear it is not.<br />
I do not want to detract too much from the positive tone of this post, but I have definite ideas about what misogyny is and <em>isn't</em>.<br />
Perhaps a post for another day?<br />
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Our mystery woman, in feeling <em>sorry</em> for women who don't know what's in their own best interests, is showing compassion. That is <em>philogyny</em> right there.<br />
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6) She is clearly not American. There is a hint of 'foreign' in her diction. The relevance of this point is that I hear so many men lament the 'fall from Grace' of the American woman. This is a shame, of course. And a double-shame for me because I would love nothing better than to debunk this ubiquitous observation. But alas, not with <em>this</em> example.<br />
So my search continues...<br />
:-)<br />
Is this woman a 'unicorn' of sorts?<br />
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I would argue...not.<br />
I think there are many women like this who are normal, feminine women. But they live normal, quiet lives. They are not all in a video on a blog. They are not 'out there', so it seems like they do not exist. <br />
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How lovely when they are recognised for who they are by friends (like Goldmund), spouses, family members.<br />
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I think we should 'name and praise' these exemplary women when we see them (as in, opposite to 'naming and shaming' the bad ones, lol) for 2 important reasons:<br />
1) That these lovely ladies are encouraged to continue their exemplary behaviour for which they are being commended.<br />
2) That other ladies take note (we ladies are 'herd' creatures, lol).<br />
3) That observers are reminded that these women still exist. Keeps hope alive, you see. <br />
:-)<br />
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Whoever this lovely lady is, can I just say to you - well done for your wonderful demeanour. Props to you, more grease to your elbow and long may you continue!<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-22162419925101308662014-11-27T14:17:00.005-08:002014-11-30T08:33:26.284-08:00Game and the Girl: MysteryA series of events have got me thinking a lot about Game lately.<br />
I mean, more than usual.<br />
:-)<br />
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I have never made a secret of liking the concept of Game. Rightly or wrongly, I instinctively understand that there needs to be a redress of the imbalance between the sexes.<br />
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What exactly do I mean?<br />
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You can be sure that even the stupidest female is well-educated about how to 'get' a man. It is not hard, as biology dictates :-).<br />
At the most basic level, a woman is more equipped than a man, to 'get what she wants'.<br />
But here lies the first problem: 'getting what she wants' may not be in her best interests, but let's stick with this argument for now, because it is an important part of the point I am trying to make.<br />
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That many women in this day and age severely lack a certain wisdom that came easily to our grandmothers is self-evident, yes. But there is still a general (in my opinion) level of 'education' that ensures that men are forever at the mercy of women. <br />
This current era is showing the degree to which this can be achieved, without a doubt.<br />
And sadly, men in general are really none the wiser, (except for those who have 'taken the Red Pill' as it were), until it is way too late.<br />
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This thought reminds me of a medical analogy. There are some unfortunate individuals whose underlying medical problem (usually heart disease) is only diagnosed at their death. These people, carriers of genes that cause sudden death have no idea what lies ahead. They literally present to their doctor (in this case, a pathologist, of course), with sudden death. This is exactly what should <em>not</em> happen: that one's <em>first</em> symptom of a disease is <em>death</em>.<br />
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But (and sorry to be so morbid), this is exactly what is happening to many men who get the shock of their lives when they are hit with an (unexpected) divorce, complete with loss of their children, loss of their earnings, and a rapid decline from the lifestyle to which they were accustomed, to a life they would hardly recognise as theirs in years to come.<br />
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This is why I like the concept of Game. Not particularly the ugly 'revenge' type of PUA activity that sees an otherwise good girl get into the kind of trouble that ensures her life is ruined forever, but the type of Inner Game that an older, wiser man can pass on to a younger man (whether it is his son or not, no matter) to ensure that his life is not only more enjoyable, but is congruent with masculine principles that he needs for a more satisfactory life, with or without women in it.<br />
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I really respect the latter, and hope more young men get this type of education.<br />
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And I daresay, <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/06/the-hunt-for-patron-saint-of-mgtow-is.html" target="_blank">St. Jerome</a> is right with his 'don't marry, until you are ready!' message.<br />
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The difference between growing girls and growing boys is that whilst both get educated in the ways of the world equally well, girls get an education about the nature of boys much more than boys get an education about the nature of girls (other than boys finding out that 'they are hot!' lol), the education of boys being more focussed on getting them safely into manhood - and responsibility and the burden of keeping civilisation running smoothly. Girls are not burdened with this type of responsibility, so have all the time to study men in a way that men simply cannot compete with.<br />
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So the education is skewed somewhat.<br />
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There are several reasons for this, I think:<br />
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1) It is cultural - girls really <em>need</em> the education on boys because this is vital to prevent her making a horrible mistake at the every beginning of her life (and these 'mistakes' are usually irreversible and permanent, if you see what I mean).<br />
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(This of course does not eliminate the problem because we hear everyday (nowadays) of horrible life choices by young women. However, the principle remains that vital information for a girl is crucial to her life). This equivalent need in boys is only now becoming apparent. But it has taken a generation or two of misery at the hands of divorcing women for this to become evident.<br />
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2) Again - cultural - femininity is shrouded in a certain 'protective veil of mystery' which is present in almost all cultures. This 'privilege' is steadily being worn away by feminism. <br />
One of the (many) reasons feminism has not done women any favours is that this shroud of the perceived 'inherent goodness' of women has been pulled away, for the naked truth to be exposed (warts and all) to men.<br />
:-(<br />
This is a real shame, because although this 'inherent goodness' is not strictly speaking accurate, it was <em>necessary</em> for it to be in place as an 'aesthetic' quality (highlighting femininity in even the least feminine of women) and also as a protection for men who are the 'buyers' of femininity and some of them just don't do well when confronted with shocks :-)<br />
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3) Nature: in the absence of corrupting influences, girls <em>do</em> have certain inherent self-preservation traits that biology endows them with. I have noticed this in young girls pre-puberty. They really <em>are</em> more modest (i.e. shy/coy about their bodies, for example), than boys of the same age. They<em> are</em> risk averse (a good thing in a woman, can be unfortunate in a man - within reason). <br />
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If a girl is lacking in information, Nature itself will push her to get this information. Exceptions exist, of course, but there are usually grave reasons for these exceptions.<br />
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4) Boys are just too busy figuring out the burdens of how to be a man, and are also (unfortunately in this case) too misled by testosterone to fully understand women when young. This is why many advise young men to wait until older before making a commitment to a woman.<br />
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Some say it is not wise for a man to be married before the age of 30-35.<br />
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I see the sense in this.<br />
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But, if he burns with passion as St. Paul says, what to do? (Assuming he is a principled, moral, religious - eg. Christian - person).<br />
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Anyway, I digress.<br />
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<br />
In this and the next few posts about Game, I explore the origins of some Game principles.<br />
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One of the stalwarts of Game is the notion of 'mystery'.<br />
Where does it come from?<br />
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In fact, where does ALL of Game come from?<br />
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Historically, of course, no amount of 'Game' would have worked on the majority of young women pre-marriage. Save for a few who 'fell prey' to 'Don Juans', every woman was 'off limits' to all but one man, who would marry her, if not presently, then eventually.<br />
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So any 'Game' a man needed was ....to ensure he was 'marriage material'.<br />
Which in simple terms meant having a sustainable source of income, and a roughly masculine appearance. That's it.<br />
For it was women who were the <em>buyers</em> in the marriage market. It was up to <em>women</em> to attract men for marriage. And they generally did, with great success. Until now.<br />
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So to recap, there was no 'action' in the SMP :-)<br />
And in the MMP, only <em>women</em> needed to 'woman up'.<br />
So no need for the type of 'Game' we have today in times past, for most men.<br />
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So, it makes sense that the principles of 'Game' as we know it, <em>necessarily</em> had to come from 'Girl Game', because the girls had perfected this skill for decades and centuries...because they <em>needed</em> to!<br />
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:-)<br />
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Let's take a look at 'mystery'.<br />
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In number 2) of my list above, it is clear that 'mystery' was not really something that women 'claimed' for themselves. This was a feature that was <em>accorded</em> women by society at large.<br />
It came with the territory (of being a woman).<br />
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This is <em>not</em> to say that it was a right. <br />
Not really. <br />
It came with a great deal of responsibility.<br />
Afterall, it was up to individual women to keep it going, to work hard to maintain this illusion.<br />
Like I allude to above, feminism has caused this illusion to come crashing down - hard.<br />
What a shame. It <em>was</em> good for women, this illusion. But like all good things, we only miss it once it is gone forever.<br />
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'Mystery' allowed women to become 'interesting' in the eyes of men. A good thing, if he was to sign his life away for her :-)<br />
'Mystery' allowed women to become <em>alluring</em> to men. A good thing if he was to venture forth to 'get to know her better'.<br />
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'Mystery' is something that all old-fashioned dating books speak highly of. From experience (of the authors).<br />
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From Helen Andelin's 'The Fascinating Girl' to 'The Rules' - they all mention 'mystery' in one form or another. This is no accident.<br />
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So now that the tables have been turned, it is not surprising that men have 'borrowed' this concept.<br />
Even in the 'olden' days, the Casanovas and the Don Juans used this to good effect :-)<br />
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Now, <em>paradoxically</em>, whilst women needed to be taught to become 'mysterious' in the dating dance, this trait is actually <em>not</em> a feature of womanhood. I think women, by their feminine, inclusive, bonding, nurturing natures, are prone to 'share' of themselves sooner than men would. Just look at today's 'selfie' culture dominated by women!<br />
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Interestingly, 'mystery' is actually a more common feature of masculinity, for men are the ones who by dint of their masculinity 'make themselves scarce' and 'disappear for long periods' whilst they (quite legitimately) get on with the business of being men. And it is we women who lament this feature in men (whilst strangely enough also cannot help but be attracted by it! <br />
(Oh the cruelty of life, lol).<br />
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So whilst 'mystery' is a priciple of Game, it strikes me as a little odd that men need to be<em> taught</em> it, my logic being that it should already be an inherent feature of manhood anyway (which takes me right back to the argument that Game is nothing but a tool for men to be ....men!).<br />
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Which circular thinking brings me right back to another recent thought of mine.<br />
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Which is....even when men and women appear to be diametrically opposite to each other, we are in many ways very similar, which is why 'Boy Game' and 'Girl Game' can so easily 'borrow' principles from each other.<br />
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This is the biggest paradox of all - the paradox that refutes the existence of a paradox!<br />
:-)<br />
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I need to go to sleep.<br />
:-)<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-65268829877342835042014-11-17T05:34:00.002-08:002014-11-30T08:47:59.485-08:00Ich bin bereit! Ich bin bereit! Ich bin bereit!Having lived in a Jewish quarter of London for many years (but I am not Jewish myself), I got to learn a few of the Jewish customs.<br />
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I got used to being 'waylaid', for example, on Friday evenings by a Jewish man or woman standing on the porch of their home and asking me to come in and turn on or off a light because it is not allowed for them to do any 'work' on the Sabbath (which begins on Friday evening).<br />
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I also got to know that if a non-Jew wants to convert to Judaism, they must be turned away three times by the Rabbi before they are finally allowed to start the process of conversion.<br />
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It seems we have our own version of this in Christianity :-)<br />
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As mentioned in the previous post, exciting times have hit the Swiss mountains!<br />
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We had a big event.<br />
An ordination, or 'Priesterweihe' in German.<br />
This one was special, because we hadn't had one in this parish for over a decade.<br />
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We the choir have been working on putting on a spectacular show for our brand new Father A_______ at his 'prima messa' or 'Primiz', his inaugural Mass, the day after his ordination.<br />
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But we weren't going to stop at just belting out high notes (or low notes as the case may be :-) for Father A_______ at his Primiz.<br />
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Heavens no.<br />
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We were all going to take the trip to the Big City to watch him take the (big) step from mere Deacon to esteemed Priest. (Hm, my hypergamy is showing, lol).<br />
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Why am I blogging about a priestly <em>ordination</em> on a website dedicated to the SMP?<br />
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Well, there are several reasons. The most important reason is that, an ordination is actually awfully similar to a wedding. It really is! In the former case, a man makes a commitment directly to God. In the latter, a man and a woman make a commitment to each other, with God as the chief witness, and they are actually also making a commitment to <em>Him</em>.<br />
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Come with me on a journey through an ordination....<br />
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I have been to an ordination or two before. When I was a child, it was customary in my parish for catechism to be taught by trainee priests. I went to their ordinations. One of these priests is now a Bishop.<br />
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As an adult, I have also been to at least one ordination before. I have also witnessed the profession of vows by nuns.<br />
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But all pale in comparison to the event I witnessed on Saturday.<br />
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It was a 2 hour bus-ride on a rainy/snowy morning to the Big City. Friends and family of A_________ dressed in our finest attire :-)<br />
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The cathedral in the Big City seemed grander than our little church in the mountains, of course. The ceremony itself was a <em>very</em> grand affair.<br />
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Other than <em>our</em> Father A__________, there were 2 other young men to be ordained. Here lies the first similarity with a wedding: at the <em>apéro</em> (light aperitif) afterwards, as all the guests mingled, a common question was, 'who are you here for'? invoking memories of wedding guests asking each other, 'are you here for the bride or groom'?<br />
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Second, I notice these three young men were aged 31-35. Our Father A_________ is 32.<br />
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I wondered, on hearing their life-stories read out by their chief 'trainers', is the age at ordination rising in much the same way as the age at marriage?<br />
These guys had had careers before turning to the priesthood. Our regular priest, for example, had been a banker for many years before becoming a priest...<br />
When I was a child, it was normal to see priests in their early twenties...<br />
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The entrance procession alone lasted about twenty minutes. With 70 priests and 3 Bishops in attendance (I counted them), we certainly weren't short of celebrants at that Mass, lol.<br />
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And the organist was suitably trigger-happy, to say the least. His (aherm) enthusiastic organ-playing certainly made this old Catholic Church joke spring sharply to mind:<br />
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From one bewildered church-goer to another:<em> "Church is a dangerous place to be, you know...there was a canon in the pulpit, the choir murdered the hymns and the organist drowned the choir!"</em><br />
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LOL.<br />
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I had met the Bishop once before. Two years ago he had officiated at the confirmation of my then 12 year old future niece-in-law, but in Italian.<br />
Now, the same Bishop was celebrating the ordination Mass in German.<br />
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Switzerland is a funny old country, lol.<br />
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His speech to the 3 soon-to-be priests before him was very moving. He spoke to them like a father would speak to his sons. He looked at them with pride, as though to say, 'my boys done good'.<br />
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I kind of liken it to a father who has been training his child to ride a bike for weeks, and it is finally time to take off the 'training wheels' and the child can now 'two-wheel' with confidence for the first time, similar to this:<br />
(I am sure we can all imagine just how proud 'Goose's' father feels in this moment).<br />
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In this case, this Bishop had good reason to be proud of 'his boys': (I was told later by a guest of one of the other two priests), there were originally ten men who registered at the seminary 7 years ago, and only 3 of them emerged as priests.<br />
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So the pre-ceremony failure rate is high.<br />
But the post-ceremony failure rate?<br />
What is this percentage? How many priests (and nuns and monks) 'drop out' after taking their vows?<br />
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Is it anywhere near 50%?<br />
I doubt it, but I don't know for sure. Anyone know?<br />
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The Bishop laid his fatherly hands on the 3 young men shortly after they were instructed, no, <em>commanded, military style</em>! to 'step before the Bishop!' (I suppose it sounded like a command because it was said in German, lol).<br />
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These men knelt down as they were 'taken through their paces'. Kneeling, heads bowed, eyes closed, they were read a sort of litany, and at regular intervals, were asked, 'Are you ready?' several times. I counted six, but it could have been more times.<br />
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To each of these questions, they would reply out loud, 'Ich bin bereit!' ('<em>I am ready!</em>')<br />
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I thought long and hard about this.<br />
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At a (Catholic) wedding, you also say 'I do' six times, if proper protocol is followed. Every Easter, we also 'profess our faith' and say 'I do' six times.<br />
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God gives us free will when we are born. It seems that whatever path we choose in life, He really wants to make sure we mean it. Are we as committed as we <em>say</em> we are?<br />
At one point in the Bible, Jesus asks Peter 'do you love me?' three times before he accepts that he does.<br />
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Is this aspect of God a sign of His beta neediness or is this a sign of His supreme Alphaness where he wants to establish that we mean what we say and say what we mean?<br />
What do you all think?<br />
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All 70 priests and the other 2 Bishops in attendance laid their hands on the deacons one by one, each praying silently over them, as they knelt, eyes remaining closed. It was very moving to watch.<br />
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Once the deed was done, and these men had become priests, their clothes were instantly changed. They were brought 'priest clothes', by their trainers, and were dressed in their new clothes right there and then, whilst we all clapped proudly.<br />
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And then all 70 priests and the other 2 Bishops, again, one by one all came to the new priests to greet them in a manner I have now come to recognise as a 'priestly greeting'. I alluded to it in <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/03/he-wants-to-be-priest.html" target="_blank">this post</a> where I was greeted in this fashion by a priest, and I just thought it was because I was a woman which is why he avoided hugging me (because even though I see him as my 'brother', I am still a woman, and <em>not</em> his sister - and I understand his need to literally keep his distance from me and all other women, except his actual mother and sisters).<br />
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But it seems this is how priests greet <em>each other</em> too! I was wrong to perceive it as a kind of 'b*tch shield' for priests. Turns out I was projecting :-)<br />
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Fascinating to see this greeting done 72 times by each new priest.<br />
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They touch the sides of each other's heads with each other's heads or cheeks, starting on each other's right side. Sometimes they simply touch the other's shoulder with their forehead. <br />
It kind of reminded me of this <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/01/yo-bro.html" target="_blank">other way</a> men greet each other, lol.<br />
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Not quite the same solemnity as one would expect in an ordination associated with <em>this</em> way of greeting, but still.... it's the 'brotherliness' of it all that counts...<br />
:-)<br />
In this case below, it went awry, but you get the picture...<br />
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Some of the priests ignored 'protocol' and went for a full-on hug and pat on the back when it was their turn to congratulate the new priests. I guess this is true 'brotherly' and 'fatherly' love being expressed right here. Quite emotional when one of the priests hugged one of the new priests so long, the next priest in line started looking at his watch and the audience burst out laughing.<br />
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:-)<br />
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As a sign that these men were now accepted into the 'club', they were transferred from the front row of the pews onto the altar to be with the other priests as the rest of the Mass was celebrated by the Bishop<br />
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At one point, ALL the Bishops and priests left the altar, leaving the 3 to say the final blessing. I thought that was lovely. It was as if they were saying: 'Now you are priests. We entrust the salvation of the flock to you. Go on and bless them. You will be doing this everyday for the rest of your lives so you might as well start now.' :-)<br />
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At the apéro, I bumped into the mother of our current regular priest. She is British :-) so let's just say she and I have a certain bond.<br />
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I asked her: 'So how did you feel watching the ordination?'<br />
I could tell it would have been an emotional experience for her. Fifteen years ago, she had watched her own son take this step.<br />
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She told me that as she had 15 years ago, she had felt (with a pang of guilt) that it was 'such a waste' to see these handsome, wonderful young men take this step.<br />
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As she had felt about her own son, she was somewhat saddened by the realisation that their mothers and fathers would never get grandchildren <em>from these sons</em> (in her case, she had other children, so she <em>does</em> have grandchildren :-), that they would never know what it is like to have a wife, have a (secular) home, live a 'normal' life.<br />
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Interestingly, I had had those thoughts pass through my own mind, and I am not even related to any of these guys. I asked the father if he had had similar thoughts.<br />
'Nope' was his reply :-)<br />
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Is this a woman thing?<br />
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Interestingly, I feel the same way when I see a nun take her vows. She will never be the wife of some man, bear his children, keep his home. I am at least fair to both sexes on this issue.<br />
But am I wrong to think this way? Afterall, if a handsome young man or a beautiful young woman has been 'taken' by God, should I lament that an earthly woman or man is missing out? Is it not good that God takes the best of humanity for himself, so to speak?<br />
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I asked the mother if it was wrong of us to think this way. She said 'no, we are only human', but maybe that's just her hamster talking :-)<br />
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Each of the new priests had his 'Primiz' lined up for the next day (Sunday).<br />
I discovered that 14 of those 70 priests had accompanied Father A_________ to the mountains in order to be at his Primiz. Again, very touching. Throughout this whole process, I got this strong impression of 'brotherhood' among these priests.<br />
It is a truly mesmerising process for a woman to experience.<br />
Are you men aware of this 'feature' or 'bug' of womanhood, I wonder?<br />
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Needless to say, Father A__________'s Primiz was the celestial highlight it was billed to be. Let's just say we the choir exceeded our own expectations and gave him the concert of his life. Hey, these are not <em>my</em> words, that's what he himself said in his 'thank you' speech at the end. No we didn't pay him to say that, lol.<br />
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We are so very proud of him and wish him immense success and all the Graces of our Heavenly Father in his life and mission as priest.<br />
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I would like to leave you with some of the music we sang for him at this very special of occasions.<br />
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Just to mention, we may be a Swiss mountain parish choir, but our choirmaster has a bit of a penchant for British composers, I have to say :-) Nothing to do with me :P<br />
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We had previously performed Karl Jenkins' 'Mass for Peace'.<br />
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This time, he picked Karl Jenkins' 'Te Deum' as our introduction for the very first Mass of Father A_____________.<br />
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Here is a taster:<br />
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<a href="http://www.boosey.com/cr/sample_detail/Karl-Jenkins-Te-Deum-2008/12968">http://www.boosey.com/cr/sample_detail/Karl-Jenkins-Te-Deum-2008/12968</a><br />
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I only vaguely knew of John Rutter prior to this choral preparation. But I had certainly never heard of his so very beautiful 'Für die Schönheit dieser Welt' before we started practising it.<br />
It is simply stunning.<br />
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Here I have it in English and German: (We, of course, sang it in German).<br />
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At the very end, we sang the 'Hallelujah Chorus' from Handel:<br />
We brought the roof down, if I may say so myself :-) !!!<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-69749680882250267532014-11-06T13:04:00.000-08:002014-11-30T09:02:03.564-08:00Servant Queen or Mistress Slave?It's been a long time...<br />
But nothing really changes here at The Sanctuary.<br />
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One day it is 'a chat with a saint', another day, it is 'reflections with a Pope'.<br />
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This is perhaps one of the hardest posts I have come up with so far on this blog.<br />
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Mac, thank you for this 'mission impossible' :-)<br />
I always learn something from your 'missions impossibles'...<br />
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Full disclosure: I am an avid fan of marriage. (No surprise there, as I am a woman and women are more wont to indulge in this sort of nonsense than men :-)<br />
But... just so that my position is clear, no, I don't mean what is commonly known as 'Marriage 2.0' or even 'Marriage 3.0'.<br />
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I am a fan of marriage as God intended it. This means, the coming together of a man and woman, each sccessfully weaned from Mother's breast and Father's shelter, to form a new union...permanently...with the intention of being open to new life, and striving together to not just coexist with said new life, but to actively shape this/these new life(ves) into the image of God.<br />
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It sounds like a mouthful, doesn't it, this biblical marriage lark?<br />
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But the <em>principles</em> behind what makes a marriage good are what makes us truly human, I have decided. Married or not, we all have the starter blocks within us to make good marriage partners, to other human beings, or to God himself.<br />
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As part of the local choir, my vocal cords are worn out practising for one of the biggest Masses in our parish calendar. The Deacon in our parish is getting ordained in 2 weeks, and we are going to sing our hearts out for him when he returns from the Big City to celebrate his First Mass here and we can all finally call him <em>Father</em> A_______.<br />
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We respect that he is going to say 'I do' to God. What a commitment!<br />
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Like Matrimony, 'Holy Orders' is a sacrament. A channel of Grace.<br />
Just a thought: why isn't the 'divorce' rate of priests and nuns anything like the divorce rate of marriage? Anyone know what this rate is? I am pretty sure it is not 50%. More like 0.5%.<br />
Why is this?<br />
Is God a better marriage-partner than us mere mortals?<br />
If so, why don't we just all marry God instead of another human being?<br />
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Silly thoughts aside, I remember hearing the following statement sometime in my teens, and it has stayed with me all my life:<br />
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<em>"All mothers will go to Heaven</em>."<br />
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On the surface of it, it seems like a very noble statement, doesn't it?<br />
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It wasn't until my adulthood that I realised how dangerous a saying this is...<br />
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For a start, can you guess that it was coined by a <em>feminist</em>? I am guessing you already did :-)<br />
Forgive me: at 17, I didn't know what a feminist was.<br />
Now I know.<br />
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This person didn't claim that all <em>parents</em> would go to Heaven. <br />
Oh no.<br />
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In addition, (and here comes the dangerous part if you are a young, impressionable woman): no need for <em>marriage</em> prior to becoming a mother.<br />
Motherhood is noble by virtue of its very being.<br />
Not so, fatherhood, by the way, chaps. So sorry...<br />
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I remember having a niggling feeling over the years that something didn't quite add up.<br />
Then one day, it came to me, clear as day.<br />
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If the above statement were correct, Motherhood would be one of the Catholic Church's seven <em>sacraments</em>. Motherhood would be a specific channel of Grace.<br />
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Um...let's see...<br />
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Holy Orders. Check.<br />
Holy Matrimony. Check.<br />
Baptism. Check.<br />
The Eucharist. Check.<br />
Confirmation. Check.<br />
Penance. Check.<br />
Anointing of the sick. Check.<br />
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Well...<br />
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Then I figured it out.<br />
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Feminist single mother making herself feel good about what she had done, and as Dalrock would put it, 'reframing' things to appease the hamster.<br />
This was all it was.<br />
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Another rationalisation successfully debunked.<br />
More to follow in the course of this blogging journey.<br />
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Why is all this important to me?<br />
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As the natural end-point of 'The Dating Game', or if one prefers, 'The SMP', marriage <em>must</em> be an important destination for most people (fair enough, not all people are called to marriage, I accept this), in order for the cohesive forces of society to function correctly.<br />
<em>Not</em> the watered-down version we have today. <em>Real</em> marriage.<br />
I think we all have some idea what that looks like. We see glimpses of it from time to time.<br />
Sometimes in familiar circumstances. Our parents...grandparents, a cousin, an uncle, the neighbours.<br />
Sometimes we find it in a feel-good film from 1976. :-)<br />
Sometimes we find it in unexpected places. <br />
But it exists. And it used to be <em>commonplace</em>.<br />
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When Mac asked me to read Pope Pius XI's <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_31121930_casti-connubii_en.html" target="_blank">Casti Connubii</a>, I didn't know anything about this Papa Pius or his works.<br />
But now that I do, I think I can feel another papal crush coming on :-)<br />
By all accounts, Papa Pius lived up to his name alright.<br />
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He was apparently a 'no-nonsense' kind of man. After my own heart, it seems.<br />
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See, I think this quality is actually <em>necessary</em> in a Pope. The Pope <em>must</em> be the most fatherly man on Earth. he represents God the <em>Father</em>.<br />
Reading through the lengthy Casti Connubii, Pope Pius certainly doesn't disappoint.<br />
You can feel the patriach in him coming out in every word.<br />
Which somehow leaves me with a sense of ....security.<br />
Is this a feminine response to a Pope crush?<br />
Am I idisyncratic in this regard?<br />
Dunno...<br />
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Anyway, about Pope Pius, one fact about him stands out for me. It was he, who established the feast of Christ The King. In related news, his papal motto was "Pax Christi in Regno Christi" meaning"The Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ."<br />
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This Pope is into the idea of Christ as <em>King</em>.<br />
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For some reason known only to my subconscious, I like this very much.<br />
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Perhaps a kind psychologist amongst you would like to elucidate as to why this appeals to me so much. :-) Or maybe I shall work it out for myself later on in my life.<br />
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Back on topic, Mac's wish was that I have a conversation with Pope Pius, much like I did with <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2014/06/the-hunt-for-patron-saint-of-mgtow-is.html" target="_blank">St. Jerome</a>.<br />
Your wish is my command, Mac :-)<br />
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Unlike my tête-à-tête with St. Jérôme, though, my reflection with Pope Pius is far easier. Pope Pius I already am in tune with. His encyclical's concepts I am already familiar with, even though I was never able to attribute them to him, until now, thanks to Mac.<br />
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I can already relate to Pope Pius as a friendly, approachable, grandfatherly figure. I already know he likes to be patriarchal. Which fits in nicely with me because I like patriarchal (older) men, and in little boys and young men, I already see 'patriachs in the making'.<br />
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So this one will be pleasant. :-)<br />
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Considering that where I am, it is snowing heavily now and it is starting to get dark, I am in appropriately sombre mood. Solemn enough for a conversation with the Venerable Pope Pius.<br />
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ST: Good evening, Pope Pius! Il Signore sia con te.<br />
<em>(Hey, he was Italian. Doesn't hurt to address him in his native tongue).</em><br />
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PP: E con il tuo spirito.<br />
<em>(I was a bit cheeky, but The Patriarch doesn't seem to mind my informal form of address. I think I'm in). :-)</em><br />
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ST: Papa Pius, I am about 84 years too late to discuss your Casti Connubii with you. Neither of my parents was born when you wrote it. Indeed all my grandparents were children at that time.<br />
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PP: Better late than never, my child. How can I help you?<br />
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ST: May I take this opportunity to say that having read it in full, it is packed full of wisdom that I wish I had been aware of earlier.<br />
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PP: Good to know. I was entrusted by Our Lord, as successor to his right-hand man, St. Peter of Rome, to instruct His flock. I hope all of my writings were successful in this task, as guided by the Holy Spirit.<br />
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ST: Yes, Your Holiness. And I hope I understand its meaning correctly. I pray that the Holy Spirit will also guide me in deepening my understanding of your words.<br />
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<em>(Pause)</em><br />
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ST: I see that you had <a href="http://www.pathsoflove.com/texts/casti-connubii-outline/" target="_blank">good reason</a> to write Casti Connubii at the time you did.<br />
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PP: I would say it was timely, yes.<br />
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ST: Interesting that it was my home country that caused all the bother.<br />
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PP: (Sigh). The Seventh Lambeth conference in 1930, in which the Archbishop of Canterbury along with the other Anglican bishops approved the use of contraception did indeed give me a headache, which was only relieved when I had finished the Casti Connubii. It was my duty to show the world, and in particular, my Christian brethren, indeed my Catholic protégés, a better alternative to what my Anglican friends were proposing. I had to show them 'of chaste wedlock'.<br />
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ST: Casti Connubii, 'of chaste wedlock'. Do you believe, Papa Pius, that 'chaste wedlock' is the answer to our modern problems?<br />
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PP: That is not the right question to ask me. I shall answer the right question: We are all called to do what the Lord asks of us...<br />
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ST: And the rest takes care of itself...<br />
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PP: Exactly.<br />
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ST: I see. Casti Connubii is divided into four main sections: Sanctity of marriage, eugenics opposition, birth control and the purpose of sexuality and the evils of abortion.<br />
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PP: True.<br />
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ST: All of these topics are linked, of course. For example, 'failure' of birth control may lead to abortion, and one of the strategies of eugenics is abortion.<br />
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<em>(Pause)</em><br />
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ST: May I ask you a specific question?<br />
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PP: Proceed, my child.<br />
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ST: You say in paragraph 3:<br />
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<em>"Yet not only do We, looking with paternal eye on the universal world from this Apostolic See as from a watch-tower, but you, also, Venerable Brethren, see, and seeing deeply grieve with Us that a great number of men, forgetful of that divine work of redemption, either entirely ignore or shamelessly deny the great sanctity of Christian wedlock, or relying on the false principles of a new and utterly perverse morality, too often trample it under foot. And since these most pernicious errors and depraved morals have begun to spread even amongst the faithful and are gradually gaining ground, in Our office as Christ's Vicar upon earth and Supreme Shepherd and Teacher We consider it Our duty to raise Our voice to keep the flock committed to Our care from poisoned pastures and, as far as in Us lies, to preserve it from harm."</em><br />
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This is so true, that we the flock are confused, and The Church sometimes seems confused too. Heartening and depressing at the same time to realise that this was the case in 1930 too, not just in 2014.<br />
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PP: Every age has its unique problems. No era is free of bother. What was your question?<br />
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ST: My question relates to paragraphs 6 and 7 where you talk of the indissoluble bond of marriage:<br />
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<em>"6. Yet although matrimony is of its very nature of divine institution, the human will, too, enters into it and performs a most noble part. For each individual marriage, inasmuch as it is a conjugal union of a particular man and woman, arises only from the free consent of each of the spouses; and this free act of the will, by which each party hands over and accepts those rights proper to the state of marriage,[4] is so necessary to constitute true marriage that it cannot be supplied by any human power.[5] This freedom, however, regards only the question whether the contracting parties really wish to enter upon matrimony or to marry this particular person; but the nature of matrimony is entirely independent of the free will of man, so that if one has once contracted matrimony he is thereby subject to its divinely made laws and its essential properties. For the Angelic Doctor, writing on conjugal honor and on the offspring which is the fruit of marriage, says: "These things are so contained in matrimony by the marriage pact itself that, if anything to the contrary were expressed in the consent which makes the marriage, it would not be a true marriage. </em><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em> 7. By matrimony, therefore, the souls of the contracting parties are joined and knit together more directly and more intimately than are their bodies, and that not by any passing affection of sense of spirit, but by a deliberate and firm act of the will; and from this union of souls by God's decree, a sacred and inviolable bond arises. Hence the nature of this contract, which is proper and peculiar to it alone, makes it entirely different both from the union of animals entered into by the blind instinct of nature alone in which neither reason nor free will plays a part, and also from the haphazard unions of men, which are far removed from all true and honorable unions of will and enjoy none of the rights of family life."</em></span><br />
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But the door is left open for 'but the marriage was not valid because of issues with consent!' by this one line:<br />
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<em>"These things are so contained in matrimony by the marriage pact itself that, if anything to the contrary were expressed in the consent which makes the marriage, it would not be a true marriage."</em><br />
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This very week, Papa Francesco considered <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2822345/Pope-mulls-removing-marriage-annulment-charges.html" target="_blank">reducing charges for annulments</a>. This is confusing for the rest of us trying to understand the importance of the indissolubility of marriage. I know annulments are not the same as divorce, but should they be easy or hard?<br />
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PP: The Lord makes his laws very clear. Everything else is 'but for the hardness of their hearts'.<br />
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ST: Paragraphs 26-28 interest me, a woman, greatly. I feel like you are talking directly to my heart here:<br />
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<em>"26. Domestic society being confirmed, therefore, by this bond of love, there should flourish in it that "order of love," as St. Augustine calls it. This order includes both the primacy of the husband with regard to the wife and children, the ready subjection of the wife and her willing obedience, which the Apostle commends in these words: "Let women be subject to their husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ is the head of the Church."[29] </em><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: small;"> 27. This subjection, however, does not deny or take away the liberty which fully belongs to the woman both in view of her dignity as a human person, and in view of her most noble office as wife and mother and companion; nor does it bid her obey her husband's every request if not in harmony with right reason or with the dignity due to wife; nor, in fine, does it imply that the wife should be put on a level with those persons who in law are called minors, to whom it is not customary to allow free exercise of their rights on account of their lack of mature judgment, or of their ignorance of human affairs. But it forbids that exaggerated liberty which cares not for the good of the family; it forbids that in this body which is the family, the heart be separated from the head to the great detriment of the whole body and the proximate danger of ruin. For if the man is the head, the woman is the heart, and as he occupies the chief place in ruling, so she may and ought to claim for herself the chief place in love. </span> </em></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em> 28. Again, this subjection of wife to husband in its degree and manner may vary according to the different conditions of persons, place and time. In fact, if the husband neglect his duty, it falls to the wife to take his place in directing the family. But the structure of the family and its fundamental law, established and confirmed by God, must always and everywhere be maintained intact . </em></span></div>
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I like these paragraphs.<br />
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Paragraph 29 is a nice summary. I think the reason it is difficult to live out is that modern women have a sense of self-importance never-before-seen. We pray for humility to live out this instruction:<br />
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<em>With great wisdom Our predecessor Leo XIII, of happy memory, in the Encyclical on Christian marriage which We have already mentioned, speaking of this order to be maintained between man and wife, teaches: "The man is the ruler of the family, and the head of the woman; but because she is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, let her be subject and obedient to the man, not as a servant but as a companion, so that nothing be lacking of honor or of dignity in the obedience which she pays. Let divine charity be the constant guide of their mutual relations, both in him who rules and in her who obeys, since each bears the image, the one of Christ, the other of the Church."</em><br />
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ST: Papa Pius, I note that you call liken divorce to 'a contagious disease or a river bursting its banks and flooding the land.'<br />
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PP: What analogy would <em>you</em> use for divorce?<br />
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<em>(Pause)</em><br />
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ST: You stress the importance of selecting the right Partner for marriage, Papa Pius. Would you advocate Game for men looking for a wife?<br />
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PP: What kind of game do you mean?<br />
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ST <em>(smile):</em> Nevermind, Your Holiness.<br />
To follow on from paragraphs 26-29, I once again note your specific instructions to women as to how we may conduct ourselves in marriage, in paragraphs 74 and 75. The bolded sentence is fundamentally striking to me, in both its directness and its simplicity.In many ways, I find it tragic that it is striking. But bear with me, Papa Pius, for I was born in the century after yours. Nothing you find 'normal' is 'normal' to me. I have to disengage from my reality to find 'normality'.<br />
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<em>"74. The same false teachers who try to dim the luster of conjugal faith and purity do not scruple to do away with the honorable and trusting obedience which the woman owes to the man. Many of them even go further and assert that such a subjection of one party to the other is unworthy of human dignity, that the rights of husband and wife are equal; wherefore, they boldly proclaim the emancipation of women has been or ought to be effected. This emancipation in their ideas must be threefold, in the ruling of the domestic society, in the administration of family affairs and in the rearing of the children. It must be social, economic, physiological: - physiological, that is to say, the woman is to be freed at her own good pleasure from the burdensome duties properly belonging to a wife as companion and mother (We have already said that this is not an emancipation but a crime); social, inasmuch as the wife being freed from the cares of children and family, should, to the neglect of these, be able to follow her own bent and devote herself to business and even public affairs; finally economic, whereby the woman even without the knowledge and against the wish of her husband may be at liberty to conduct and administer her own affairs, giving her attention chiefly to these rather than to children, husband and family. </em><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em> 75. This, however, is not the true emancipation of woman, nor that rational and exalted liberty which belongs to the noble office of a Christian woman and wife; it is rather the debasing of the womanly character and the dignity of motherhood, and indeed of the whole family, as a result of which the husband suffers the loss of his wife, the children of their mother, and the home and the whole family of an ever watchful guardian. <strong>More than this, this false liberty and unnatural equality with the husband is to the detriment of the woman herself, for if the woman descends from her truly regal throne to which she has been raised within the walls of the home by means of the Gospel, she will soon be reduced to the old state of slavery (if not in appearance, certainly in reality) and become as amongst the pagans the mere instrument of man.</strong>"</em></span><br />
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PP: I sympathise with you, my daughter. You are right, the words in bold are simple. Ask yourself this, and ask your fellow sisters to ask themselves this simple question:<br />
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Would you rather be a Servant Queen to your husband (as Christ was a Servant King to his Church), or would you rather be a Mistress Slave to everyone else?<br />
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Would you rather inherit a throne or buy a footstool?<br />
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The choice is yours. Free will is an intentional gift from God. Use it wisely, with discernment.<br />
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Read and internalise paragraphs 74 ad 75 again and again until you have memorised them. They are the building stones of your palace.<br />
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I bid you Farewell and the Peace of Christ The King.<br />
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ST: Goodnight, Papa Pius.<br />
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I had a lot more questions for Papa Pius. But I must do as he instructed. So whilst I focus on what is relevant to me, you may wish to find what is relevant to you, in this a most instructive encyclical.<br />
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Again, thank you Mac.<br />
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In case anyone is interested, more on Pope Pius XI here:<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XI">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XI</a><br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-90804087419509613862014-10-12T10:34:00.001-07:002014-10-16T07:24:49.480-07:00All women are natural born liars!Thus spake Mr. Hogan :-)<br />
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And he said it with a <em>straight</em> face :-)<br />
Like he really believed it :-)<br />
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Cheeky bugger! as they say 'up norf' in England.<br />
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I don't think I have done 'back to back' film reviews before, so this is a first for The Sanctuary.<br />
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I first saw the film 'Two mules for Sister Sara' when I was a child, so of course all the lessons a-plenty within it were lost on me. I loved the music - not sure what instrument it is that keeps recurring, especially in the scenes involving the mules, but it is certainly comedic, at least it was, to 10 year old me.<br />
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Then I saw it again recently, and I was amazed at how much 'Natural Law' troof' it holds.<br />
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I mean, Clint Eastwood ain't bad looking :-)<br />
He's got that whole John Wayne-ish thing going on, which would make any lady happy :-)<br />
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And, as we all know by now, 'happy-ness is the troof', don'tcha know!<br />
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Pharrell Williams knows... and he is right!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/y6Sxv-sUYtM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Erm, getting sidetracked....<br />
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The ultimate 'tension' of a specific nature (mentioning no names) is to be had when two 'unavailable' people of different sexes are thrown together in a vacuum with no means of escape.<br />
This is a script for<br />
1) disaster<br />
2) hilarity<br />
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We kind of get both in this film.<br />
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Here we have the ultimate MGHOW (bar Jesus Christ) versus the ultimate Alpha Widow.<br />
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Yes, a nun <em>is</em> the ultimate alpha widow :-)<br />
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In a good way.<br />
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Except, in this film (spoiler alert!!!) <em>this</em> nun is not exactly as she seems :-)<br />
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But for the first half of the film, at least, we are led to believe she is of the 'pure and driven snow' variety. Which makes Mr. Hogan's attempts to test her boundaries all the more hilarious.<br />
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But it's not his fault. Alcohol is the third party in <em>this</em> 'love' triangle :-)<br />
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Throughout this film, one gets the impression that poor old Mr. Hogan is being 'sent up', meaning that there is a conspiracy against him of sorts. <br />
All engineered by the innocent-looking Sister Sara.<br />
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This in itself is a poignant point: I get the impression, looking around me, that modern men <em>are</em> indeed being 'sent up' by the not-so-funny joke that is feminism. And the more resourceful of them react with exactly the same kind of 'Red Pill-ness' that Mr. Hogan displays.<br />
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And what a fountain of Red Pill-ness Mr Hogan is! :-)<br />
This guy is a walking Manosphere blog :-)<br />
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Like most actors whose on-screen personas mimic 'alphadom' very well (off the top of my head - Jack Nicholson, John Wayne being very good examples), Clint Eastwood's natural personality oozes confidence.<br />
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The slow (never rushed) movements, the thoughtful facial expression (usually minus a smile), the willingness to take on dangerous tasks, the <em>ease</em> with which he seems to execute said tasks, the even-toned voice, the logic of his words...<br />
The list is indeed endless, but you get the picture...<br />
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I often wonder what's going through the casting director's mind when he/she picks these actors for these roles. I wonder if they already have a certain personality in mind, or are they stunned into selecting these guys when they show up at the audition? How does this process work? Any casting directors out there?<br />
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The film begins when Hogan happens upon what seems to be a rape scene about to unfold. Three drunken men are circling a semi-naked woman, taunting her.<br />
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Hogan intervenes, and ends up shooting all three men dead.<br />
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To his surprise, the female victim turns out to be a ..... nun.<br />
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At first he is simply shocked. They are afterall in the middle of a desert in Mexico.<br />
What's a nun doing here of all places? he asks.<br />
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But Hogan doesn't get all 'white-knighty' on her. He is chivalrous but not supplicating, even with her 'nun' status. He protects her, but tells her off when she does something silly, like using their precious drinking water to bless the bodies of her dead assailants. He also refuses to do certain things for her, for example, burying the bodies of her assailants.<br />
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'Sister, I don't mind shooting 'em for ya, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna sweat over 'em for ya'.<br />
Hahahahahahahahahaha!<br />
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Sister Sara is determined to give the men a Christian burial. So she gets busy with the shovel that Hogan provides.<br />
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He teases her by suggesting that if she ever got tired of being a nun, there was always gravedigging in her future.<br />
Hey, is it not a sin to neg a nun?<br />
LOL.<br />
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And when she accuses him of being 'as stubborn as her mule', his reply? 'Of course!'<br />
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Poor old Hogan can't seem to shake off Sister Sara. Each time he wants to go his own way (heh) something happens and she needs his help/protection.<br />
See what I mean by my conspiration theory?<br />
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Hogan is attracted to her. But he is a little annoyed that she is married to God :-) And that she is as pretty as she is (distracting, you see).<br />
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Sister Sara seems to take his lust in her stride. She understands his lustful nature. She will pray for his soul.<br />
She humours him by sharing some of her own struggles against temptation. Hogan is unimpressed. She must be lying about her chastity. Hence the title of this post.<br />
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:-)<br />
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Some of his funniest quotes listed here:<br />
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Can nuns cook?<br />
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Everybody's got the right to be a sucker once.<br />
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Oh that was no miracle, just an accident, life is full of 'em (in response to her thanking him for coming just in time to save her from her assailants).<br />
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Oh I don't know, never spent the night with one before (in response to 'you think nuns don't laugh?')<br />
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I ride from sun-up to sun-down. You either keep up or you don't.<br />
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What for? (in response to the question: 'don't you want a woman of your own?')<br />
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And what about you Ma'am? Haven't you wanted to be a <em>whole</em> woman, have a man make love to you, have children?<br />
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What do you do about those feelings that God gave every woman, including you?<br />
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In your case, Sister, just how much praying does that take? (in response to her assertion that when she gets 'those feelings', she prays, and they pass).<br />
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All the women I ever met were natural born liars, but I never knew about nuns till now.<br />
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I'll say one thing, Sister. I sure would have liked to have met up with you before you took to them clothes and them vows (looking her up and down in a salacious manner).<br />
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Look I told you not to 'brother' me!<br />
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Alright, it's a small shrine, let's make it a small prayer.<br />
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Hogan and Sister Sara embark on a mission together.<br />
At the end of the mission he discovers something about her that surprised even him :-)<br />
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To say anymore about this film would be to spoil it for you.<br />
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Watch it, you would enjoy it, I am sure!<br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1rl2qd_two-mules-for-sister-sara-1970-full-movie_shortfilms">http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1rl2qd_two-mules-for-sister-sara-1970-full-movie_shortfilms</a><br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-53776762250138310352014-08-27T13:27:00.002-07:002014-10-16T07:30:22.945-07:00Film Review: Swiss Family RobinsonHey-ho, I KNEW you could see this coming!<br />
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I promised Glissando a review of a film which I imagine is as idyllic as his life on a beach down under.<br />
And, being a Swiss resident, it was only a matter of time before I turned my attention to this film...<br />
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But, you ask...since when was 'Robinson' a Swiss name?<br />
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And you would be right - it's not.<br />
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I read the book when I was a child, long before my links with Switzerland.<br />
I always thought it was a factual story.<br />
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But now I learn I was wrong all those years ago.<br />
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This book was indeed written by a Swiss man, Johann David Wyss. A Swiss pastor, no less.<br />
But it was by no means autobiographical.<br />
The 'Robinson' is a tribute to the adventures of Robinson Crusoe.<br />
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Pastor Wyss wrote the book to teach his four sons about what it means to be a man.<br />
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Yes, this book was meant to be a blueprint for the journey from boy to man.<br />
In other words, a precursor to The Manosphere :-)<br />
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These days, I see 'SMP' in everything.<br />
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But this book, really<em> is</em> SMP. It is definitely not my imagination!<br />
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The book has spawned a myriad of films, TV-series and spin-offs. The one I am familiar with, (and the version I review) is the 1960 film starring John Mills and Dorothy McGuire.<br />
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I cannot find a complete version of this film on Youtube, but Disney have it free <a href="http://freedisneycartoon.blogspot.ch/2013/07/swiss-family-robinson-1960-watch-online.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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In this version of the book, there are only three sons.<br />
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The film begins with a shipwreck. The family are on their way to New Guinea when a storm hits. They survive the storm only to find that they have been abandoned by the captain and the crew. They are on their own at sea.<br />
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Luckily for them though, they are not too far from land. They make it to dry land, and little by little, they manage to salvage what they can from the ship, making quite a nice life for themselves on the island.<br />
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The first striking SMP lesson for me is...this:<br />
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Whilst Father and the two eldest sons Fritz and Ernst are doing their best to protect themselves and Francis (the youngest boy) and Mother, these latter two are insistent that the dogs on board be rescued as well, even though to admit the dogs on board would mean endangering the lives of everyone else on board.<br />
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:-)<br />
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Yes, women and children can get in the way. I get that.<br />
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In this particular case, the dogs saved themselves anyway, and swam to safety, so they passed the survival test anyway. Good on them.<br />
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But the tendency of the (sometimes) unwarranted caring that women insist on displaying even though should their actions cause a threat to their own safety, it would be men who would be called upon to come to their aid (the same man who opposed said unwarranted 'caring' in the first place!) does not go unnoticed.<br />
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Yes, it can be annoying. And it gets in the way of men whose natural instinct is to protect women and children.<br />
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The Robinsons do a fine job of creating a paradise for themselves on the island. They build a tree-house with all the mod cons (with items salvaged from the ship) that would be the envy of many a housewife in Bern :-)<br />
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But Mother was at first unimpressed, when the building work was still in progress. But she was more than satisfied with the end-result, to the delight of her boys, Father included :-)<br />
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If you are starting to get the impression that Mother was a fastidious person, then <em>mea culpa</em>, I have given you the wrong impression.<br />
Mother was actually a very good woman. She is 'fastidious' when it comes to the needs of her precious boys. This is, I suppose, just her natural 'mother's instinct' kicking in, but she is also a very good wife. An exemplary one. She looks after her boys very well, and they look after her.<br />
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Everyone is happy.<br />
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Except...<br />
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Whilst Father is waxing lyrical about how island life is the ideal life, and 'how life was intended to be lived', Mother keeps reminding him that <em>something'</em>s missing.<br />
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It was alright for <em>him</em> (Father) and <em>her</em>: they had already lived their life. But what about their sons? How tragic that they might live their whole life without experiencing love with a woman, or having a family, or having a social life outside of the family!<br />
To their knowledge to date, they were the only inhabitants of the island.<br />
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Now, the MGTOWs would say Amen! to that of course.<br />
:-)<br />
But remember, I don't think teenage boys who had yet to experience the company of girls would be too hot on this idea :-) Just a guess :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Father agreed that yes, it would be nice if they could find girls for their boys :-)<br />
He sort of agreed to this idea rather grudgingly, I felt :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
What is it with older men that they forget how nice the flush of romantic love can be once they have been married for decades? <br />
<em>Women</em> never forget :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
This scene reminds me of the scene in <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/10/film-review-guess-whos-coming-to-dinner.html" target="_blank">'Guess who is coming to dinner?'</a> where the mother of John is desperately trying to remind her husband and the father of Joanna that <em>their</em> time might be past, but the two young lovebirds deserved a chance at building their own life together. She finishes by asking them, 'don't you remember what it was like at their age?' Neither man had an answer for her...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
To increase their chances of finding girls, the parents finally allow Fritz and Ernst to sail around the island and take their chances with Nature...and pirates. Mother is scared stiff to let her precious boys go, and yet she is the one who wants them romantically sorted :-)<br />
Ah, the cognitive dissonance of womanhood :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
At this point in the film one gets the impression that it is indeed time to let Fritz and Ernst go on this trip. It turns out to be some sort of funny 'initiation' for them.<br />
'Initiation' is a term that I gather is a bit of a 'red rag to a bull'. At least this is what I learned that in the <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/01/mgtow-good-or-bad-for-women.html" target="_blank">MGTOW</a> thread.<br />
This is why I use inverted commas.<br />
<br />
<br />
But indeed I am guessing that this is the whole point of the book, and therefore of the film. David Wyss really wants his audience (young boys) to get this message: to survive with your bare hands and intellect in Savage Nature. To learn to be a man under the most uncivilised circmstances...<br />
<br />
<br />
Sure, this skill is largely lost, except in some families where the father has kept the tradition going, and despite 'civilisation', makes sure all the sons know how to hunt, fish, etc. But it is difficult if you live in a big city and you are not that wild about Nature.<br />
In which case, it is much, much easier to raise girls than boys, as you just need the interior of a home to teach a girl to be a useful wife and mother in the way olden day girls were.<br />
<br />
<br />
On this trip, it is clear that both Fritz and Ernst are well beyond puberty. According to Wikipedia, Fritz is about fifteen, and therefore Ernst must be a year or two younger by inference.<br />
<br />
<br />
They reminisce about life in Bern before the big trip. Fritz talks about his memories of 'girl-watching' on a street in Bern. They wonder if they will find girls their age when they sail around the island. Fritz jokes that by the time they get to their destination, they would be so (insert your own crude word here), that they wouldn't care what age the girls were.<br />
<br />
<br />
Poor boys.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Fritz is muscular and brawny. He is also very ambitious. He wants to be his own boss someday soon. For the moment though, he is happy to be in the shadow of Father, but not for much longer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Ernst, by contrast is an intellectual. He plans to go to University. He plans to conquer the island not by his pysical might, but with his brains. His mother encourages him to 'use his head' because she recognises that this is his strong point, his Uniqe Selling Point.<br />
Father has already come to rely quite heavily on his bright ideas.<br />
<br />
<br />
And it looks like Francis, the youngest boy is going the way of Ernst. He has wild, but interesting ideas. Bless him, he is about nine or ten, but he certainly knows how to hold his own. But he gets to stay at home with Mother and Father whilst Fritz and Ernst get to experience the big, wide world.<br />
Not fair :P<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
A funny thing happens to Fritz and Ernst on their travels. They happen upon a British man who has been captured by the dreaded pirates, along with his 14 year old grandson.<br />
<br />
<br />
They try to save both captives, but unfortunately only have time to free the boy before the pirates come back.<br />
It's a dash for the exit with 'Bertie' in tow as the angry pirates come after them...<br />
<br />
<br />
Finally having shaken off the pirates, Fritz and Ernst soon realise that all is not well with 'Bertie'. They start to question his masculinity.<br />
This boy cannot run fast, he acts all sissyish, and is just not what a boy ought to be.<br />
In other words...<br />
Gay.<br />
<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Ernst wonders the untinkable: were <em>we</em> like this before we toughened up a bit on this island? Fritz reassures him that they were <em>never</em> quite as bad as this Bertie...<br />
<br />
<br />
This speculation about Bertie's masculnity comes to an abrupt end as Fritz accidentally discovers that 'Bertie' is actually a <em>girl</em>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Fritz and Ernst, meet <em>Roberta</em>.<br />
<br />
<br />
And from that moment on, the war between the brothers begin. This turns out to be a game-changing moment :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Women, eh. Nothing but trouble :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Now here begin the most important SMP lessons.<br />
<br />
<br />
Fritz, who is more 'alpha' than Ernst, by virtue of his older age, more masculine appearance and slightly aloof personality around Roberta (at least as compared to Ernst's approach to her) really displays how it should be done.<br />
<br />
<br />
Whilst Ernst is busy doing his best to impress Roberta in the way that clueless young men sometimes go about these things (for example, falling for the bait when she lets drop that she misses the debutante dances in London with the men in the tall hats - and he proceeds to make himself a tall hat out of straw to impress her - no! no! no! Ernst!), Fritz acts all unimpressed when she tells him that her grandfather would offer him a job in his company (what, me, work for another man? No thanks!) and when she invites him to come see her in London once their stint on the island was finished, he politely declined, stating that he wanted to go on to new Guniea and build a life for himself.<br />
<br />
<br />
All that Ernst was doing was leading to the 'friend zone'. Roberta seemed to like his intellectualism at the beginning, but the alpha boy attracted her more, in the end. Soon, she was finding ever more inventive ways to get closer to Fritz (could you teach me to shoot a gun, Fritz? Pretty please? - flutter of eyelashes, lol). When Ernst offers to teach her to shoot, she is actually repulsed by his offer. She proceeds to shoot an object a million miles away, demonstrating how she actually needed shooting lessons like a fish needs a bicycle :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
The important difference between these two boys is that one was following his own path in life, and a woman was allowed to enter said path if she wished, and with his consent, of course. The other was ready to abandon his path and follow the woman. <br />
<br />
<br />
No woman wants to be 'the leader'. No matter how much she protests to the contrary.<br />
Ernst did not know this.<br />
This proved to be the fatal flaw in his quest for Roberta.<br />
<br />
<br />
In the end, he had to admit defeat. It was clear that Fritz was Roberta's choice.<br />
<br />
<br />
Mother was delighted to have a 'daughter' at last. <br />
Someone she could discuss 'girl stuff' with :-)<br />
Someone she could dress up in her old dresses :-)<br />
Someone who would (darn it!) marry her son :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Satisfied, Mother?<br />
<br />
<br />
Um, no.<br />
<em>Not yet.</em><br />
She had three sons, remember? As she reminded Father :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Nope, not completely happy until 2 more girls came their way :-)<br />
Fritz was now sorted.<br />
Ernst next, and then Francis...<br />
<br />
<br />
The film finishes with Ernst going off to Civilisation with Roberta's Grandfather, whilst Mother and Father, and Fritz and Roberta decide to stay and build a new life on their island.<br />
<br />
<br />
The film is indeed worth watching.<br />
If for nothing, for the idyllic scenery it offers.<br />
<br />
<br />
But the SMP lessons are also worth the effort, I would say.<br />
Well worth the effort.<br />
<br />
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Enjoy...<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-41492416590991012622014-08-11T09:03:00.002-07:002014-08-13T01:43:05.490-07:00A tale of two MsOr three, or four, or five... <br />
<br />
<br />
This post will be very long.<br />
And verbose.<br />
And full of flowery feminine language.<br />
<br />
<br />
That's because I am talking to a fellow woman here.<br />
<br />
<br />
You gentlemen, take a hike for a few hours :-)<br />
(In the nicest possible way).<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh how I miss Danny with his 'ITLR' posts! We ladies don't really have a 'locker room' as such. We talk anywhere, anytime, whenever the need arises. <br />
Indeed a need has just arisen.<br />
This post is nothing other than an emergency open letter to Glissando's M.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I had promised Glissando a post about a film which mirrors his own idyllic world on an island.<br />
I was working on that.<br />
<br />
<br />
After a few unavoidable days of 'no internet access', I plugged in to The Sanctuary to find this comment by Metak to Glissando:<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>"Meh, don't worry about "The Sanctuary"... it was built by an ancient super-dupper-secret order of initiated Hamsters... this 'sisterhood of hamsters' operates in highest secrecy and has managed to infiltrate highest ranks of governments round the world... to this very day, the order is bound by one goal and one goal only! To protect "The Sanctuary" and their queen "Spacetraveller"..."</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
Lovely Sanctuarites, don't listen to The Metak! There is no secret society! No infiltration! No protection money!<br />
<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
No, the above is not what's got my hamsters in unadulterated and unified uproar.<br />
No, no.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It was <em>this</em> comment by Glissando to Metak (bold emphasis mine):<br />
<br />
<em>"At the time you posted (July 31, 2014 at 7:23 PM) she was telling me FWB is definitely available, as long as I understand, <strong>she wants to have my children</strong>. Contraception would be entirely over to me. She said she will spend the rest of her life trying to prove I can trust her word, but hopes I will come to trust her before she's too old (she's in her early 20's at this time). Also, if I want to emigrate to any country that remains uninfected with the feminism virus, she would love to come with me as the happiest woman in the world."</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<br />
The following video reflects my immediate thought:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/x2nhxxCxoKg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My two existing hamsters had to be sedated because their reactions would have been akin to a nuclear reactor, well, reacting.<br />
<br />
<br />
And lo and behold, a <em>third</em> hamster popped up in my being, just for you. M :-)<br />
Thank you kindly, M. As if I didn't have enough hamsters on board :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
This one is Indian, to boot. She is middle-aged, has no scruples or decorum, and is a thousand times worse than Dalrock's <a href="http://dalrock.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/yiayia-wouldnt-approve/" target="_blank">Yiayia</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
As I write, this hamster is in a state of catatonia following the shock of seeing Glissando's comment.<br />
<br />
<br />
Forget sedation, this hamster will have to be sectioned and put under general anaesthetic for its own safety as soon as we can get it to the nearest secure unit.<br />
<br />
<br />
After the 'are you joking me?' followed by the famous Indian head shake (you know the one I mean, M! see video below), this hamster was ready to take you apart. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/tRwzcnOdNFc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
But...I shan't let it. <em>This</em> dirty job is one I have to do myself. <br />
:-)<br />
<br />
All hamsters silenced, M, let me <em>calmly</em> explain to you what all the fuss is about.<br />
<br />
<br />
Get Glissando out. Fix him a beer or something, and let him get out of your hair for a bit.<br />
Pull up a chair. Sit by me.<br />
<br />
<br />
We need to talk.<br />
<span id="goog_1055151752">
<br /><br />
<br />Glissando was waxing lyrical about you a few posts back. I was led to believe he had found a gem amongst women. <br />
<br /><br />
Beautiful (check). <br />
Young - at least younger than him (check). <br />
Renounces feminism (double check). <br />
Seems to be into him (check).<br />
<br /><br />
I was thinking, well, what <em>is</em> wrong with this man? Why won't he lock down this exceptional woman?? Why does he 'remain MGHOW' when he has a woman at hand who would be the envy of men everywhere?<br />
<br /><br />
And then he hit me with the above comment.<br />
And then I realised, M, you are not being exceptional, Pet.<br />
I say this with all the love for you that someone who doesn't actually know you can muster.<br />
<br />
<br />
By the way, if Glissando was joking, or downright lying when he said to me that you offered him sex and babies, despite his (blatantly) telling you that he won't offer you his commitment, then you should give him a friendly slap (in a non-dangerous part of his body, i.e. not his head or erm, the other place, lol), saying these words, 'you big old lying beast' with a half-smile. <br />
The ferocity with which you deliver this bit of mock-violence may be directly proportional to your level of mock 'anger' at him. I just hope for Glissando's sake that you are not wearing a 'red dress' today, if you catch my drift.<br />
:-)<br />
<br /><br />
If Glissando was telling me the truth (and the rest of this post is based on this assumption), then....<br />
a few words for you...<br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
1) You are very much<em> into</em> feminism. More than you realise. You are 'talking the talk' of 'renouncing feminism', but in reality, you are not really 'walking the walk'.<br />
Pre-feminism, no woman offered a man (unmarried) sex because the implication of this would be that she was putting herself and her unborn child at risk. Without the commitment of a man in both a husbandly and fatherly role, woman and child are at the mercy of others - her own parents (but why should they continue to be responsible for you long after they have done their duty raising you and your siblings?), friends (why should they be burdened with you when they have their own lives to lead?, strangers (need I even go there?)<br />
<br /><br />
Feminism offers the 'empowered woman' an <i>alternative</i> to the dedicated role a man takes on when he marries a woman, by offering <i>lesser</i> alternatives. <br /><br />
</span><br />
Your career is no longer an additional source of income should you need it if your husband is incapacitated in some way, but a 'I kill my own snakes' lifeline for you and your fatherless child. <br />
<br />
The state will give you money in the form of 'social securty', therefore reducing the amount it could give to people who really need it because they have come up against a temporary financial crisis and need a hand for a while until they can get back on their feet.<br />
<br />
<br />
These lesser alternatives, whilst being less desirable for you personally, are also robbing others of their due. Feminism is training you to be a thief.<br />
<br />
<br />
Question for you: do you want to be a thief?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
2) You are being <em>gravely</em> dishonest. This kind of dishonesty will make you merciless one day. This is the reason I called you Glissando's '<em>belle dame sans merci'</em>. It is <em>habitual</em> dishonesty like this that leads to pain for men.<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
<br />
You <em>know</em> you don't want to just offer the 'free gift' of yourself to someone who won't stay with you forever. He has already told you he is MGHOW. That means he doesn't feel the need to make you his Queen. This is painful, of course, my dear. He is rejecting you. I get it.<br />
<br />
<br />
But what should be the correct response from you in the face of such utter rejection from Glissando?<br />
<br />
<br />
I can tell you what it should NOT be, M.<br />
<br />
<br />
It should NOT be: "You don't want to commit to me? Alright, then, no problem, I shall give you free, unlimited sex! I shall have your babies!"<br />
<br />
<br />
No! No! No!<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>Any</em> woman can offer a man this.<br />
<br />
<br />
This ain't special.<br />
This won't make a man feel 'cherished'.<br />
It's as common as muck, this. Especially nowadays. Ten a penny. Literally.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And moreover, you will hate yourself for this one day. Supposing under the circumstances of such a bad start, you two do end up together...<br />
<br />
<br />
One day, you will look at this man and say to yourself: I gave him <em>so much of myself</em> just to earn his commitment. How could I have cheapened myself so much? You will (unfairly) transfer your self-hate to <em>him</em>. You will do this automatically. You will not realise you are doing it. You will show genuine surprise if someone points this out to you.<br />
<br />
<br />
The next words you will say to Glissando will be 'it's not you, it's me...' or 'I love you but I am not <em>in love</em> with you..'<br />
Or if you are married, it will be 'I want a divorce...'<br />
<br />
<br />
And boy, will you punish him for the 'hurt' he caused you that he didn't know he had (inadvertently) done all those years ago when you offered him sex on a platter and he thought he had won the jackpot...<br />
<br />
<br />
M, men don't see this coming because they are not really trained to. But you and I know how your little charade will end, don't we? We are women. This is our area of expertise. We understand each other. We speak the same language. We know what's going on in each other's heads.<br />
<br />
<br />
Don't use this wicked manipulative manouevre to 'hook' a man. It's not a nice thing to do. <br />
It is exactly what a feminist would do!<br />
<br />
<br />
You don't fool me. And stop lying to yourself and Glissando.<br />
I am actually quite proud of Glissando, because, by the looks of things, he ain't fooled either. Which is why he 'remains MGHOW' despite your 'generous' offer.<br />
You failed his fitness test (as I shall explain below) but he passed <em>yours</em>.<br />
<br />
<br />
M, listen to me.<br />
As an unmarried woman, sex is not even yours to offer.<br />
Did you know this absolute truth?<br />
<br />
<br />
For those of us brought up under feminism, this is a truism that was either never passed on to us, or if it was, we forgot it in our attempt to 'empower' ourselves. In effect, you would have to be twice your age, <em>at least</em>, to have grown up with this notion or principle as 'standard'.<br />
<br />
<br />
But it doesn't have to be this way.<br />
<br />
<br />
As a beautiful, single woman, YOU hold the key to society. Did you never figure this out?<br />
Why not?<br />
What's gone wrong?<br />
<br />
<br />
Your sexuality, as a single, unattached woman, belongs to God/Allah/Yahweh/insert Deity of your choice.<br />
<br />
<br />
When you and a man worthy of you, pledge to come together as a unit before man and said Deity, your gift of self <em>in its wholeness</em> becomes unlocked, and you are free to offer that man (and him only!) everything you have, <em>including</em> your sexuality. Until then, you must guard it as if your life literally depends on it. Because it does.<br />
<br />
<br />
Glissando doesn't trust you - yet. And I think he is right not to.<br />
Because you are not being an effective gatekeeper.<br />
Where is your b*tch shield, sister? This is what it was designed for!<br />
Why is your weaponry deserting you at a time you need it the most?<br />
<br />
<br />
In Glissando's decision-making as to whether he takes you on as 'Partner for Life', he should <em>never</em> be put into a situation where he begins to question your suitability as a wife. No!<br />
<br />
<br />
He should <em>know</em> that you are a worthy woman right off the bat. That puts you into the starter position. Without this, you are not even in the running, my dear.<br />
<br />
<br />
And even so, there will be 'resistance' to marriage. Outside The Sanctuary, it is called 'commitment phobia'. You know how I feel about this falsehood if you have read some of what I write here. :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But his 'resistance' should only be about exorcising his own demons from his own soul, i.e. it should be about making <em>himself </em>worthy of you. This is a process which he won't of course confide to you, but it is a process that will happen internally within him nonetheless. <br />
<br />
<br />
But you are making it easy for him to simply walk away and never look back!<br />
<br />
<br />
Here I am telling these guys who come to The Sanctuary that there are good women everywhere, and here <em>you</em> are trying your hardest to prove me wrong.<br />
Stop stealing my thunder, M!<br />
<br />
<br />
Game is all well and good. I fully endorse it, yes, as you would have read several times on this blog. Without it, many men would be 'dead in the water' when it comes to love/romance.<br />
<br />
<br />
But you as a woman have to 'win' against Game to be worthy. As much as we 'fitness test' men all the time, I have news for you - men too have their own 'fitness tests' for us women. And it can be brutal. As it should be.<br />
<br />
<br />
Can you see how you have badly failed Glissando's 'fitness test'?<br />
He runs a little 'Dread Game' on you and you are ready to offer him all that you have?<br />
Does this mean that any other man with as much Game as him can take you away from him at the drop of a hat in the future?<br />
<br />
<br />
Can you really not see that by failing his little fitness test, the bad side effect of it is that he now sees you as a bad bet for wifehood?<br />
<br />
<br />
Are you seeing what I am seeing now?<br />
<br />
<br />
Can you now see that Glissando is being a better gatekeeper of his commitment than you are of sex? <br />
<br />
<br />
<em>He</em> knows that to pick the wrong partner could literally end his life. <br />
<br />
<br />
I say it again if you are feeling slow today: <em>His life depends on it.</em><br />
<em>Why, </em>you ask...<br />
<br />
<br />
Psk, you know why.<br />
He has two dead friends...remember?<br />
So he takes this sort of thing <em>very</em> seriously.<br />
You should too.<br />
<br />
<br />
And <em>his</em> hamster will help him in this vetting process. You don't think men have hamsters too? They sure do. And it is more logical and clinical than yours or mine. When Glissando is ready to dump you right after he has found a more worthy woman than you are being right now, this is what Glissando Junior will say to Glissando Senior:<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>"Dude, time to split. This chick was good while it lasted. Time for greener pastures. Remember she was never going to be 'The One' anyway, right? No tears. No lost sleep. Just give her 'the speech' pronto.</em><br />
<em>There was always something 'missing' with her.</em><br />
<em>Don't lose sleep over this one. See what the next one has to offer..."</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Not nice, is it?<br />
Your decision-making now, in your early twenties must be pristine, clear-headed, solid. Because this determines the direction of the rest of your life.<br />
<br />
<br />
All those women in their late 30s, early 40s asking 'where are all the good men?' - do you honestly not know how they got to where they are?<br />
I tell you.<br />
<br />
<br />
They made horrible decisions just like you are making right now, back when they were supposedly at their most powerful, which is what you are now.<br />
<br />
<br />
Don't mess it up.<br />
<br />
<br />
Don't go soft in the head, at a time when you should be at your toughest.<br />
Glissando won't die if you don't offer him sex.<br />
He'll take it if it's on offer, sure!<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
But sadly, that doesn't mean he will like you any better, or love you for it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you seen the film 'Friends with benefits?' It stars Mila Kunis, I think. <br />
I don't usually recommend Hollywood films, but this one has a specific message for you, M.<br />
In this film, a woman does exactly what you are doing now. She offers 'no strings' sex to a man when deep down she hopes for far more from him.<br />
When her (inevitable, if you ask me!) meltdown occurs years down the road where she accuses him of just 'using her for sex', she looks surprised when he points out (logically) that she offered, and he took her up on her offer, thank you Ma'am.<br />
This woman was being deceitful, and she knew it. But she thought she could wangle her way out of her own mess. In the end she found she couldn't. <br />
I hope you can see now that neither can you, if you persist in your currently flawed thinking process.<br />
<br />
<br />
Glissando certainly doesn't need babies with a woman he is not fully committed to.<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you seen the film 'Friends with kids?'<br />
Again, another Hollywood film packed full of lessons for you. <br />
In this one, a woman wants a baby, but alas, with no husband, what is she to do?<br />
Why not just have one with a platonic friend? What could possibly go wrong?<br />
Do you see where I am heading with this?<br />
<br />
<br />
Dishonesty to oneself leads to personal pain.<br />
Bad enough.<br />
<br />
<br />
Where that pain involves the next generation, you are doubly responsible.<br />
Children need much more than just a mother.<br />
This 'single by choice' movement that is sweeping the world - it is killing children in more ways than we thought possible.<br />
I have a friend who is a child psychiatrist - I definitely know what I am talking about here!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When I talked about 'what is a woman for', the four Fs were features a woman brings to a <em>committed</em> table. I would have hoped that this was understood without me spelling it out.<br />
<br />
<br />
OK, food might be an exception. You can cook for anyone. I think it is a good thing, because you get to practise, and your value as a cook doesn't go down the more you cook.<br />
Faithfulness is also something you can 'practise' even when you are single, because you can stay faithful to God whilst you prepare to be faithful to an earthly man.<br />
<br />
<br />
Family (meaning children) and definitely the fourth 'F' are strictly for marriage! I never endorsed otherwise.<br />
And for sure, feminism is not one of the F's. LOL.<br />
<br />
<br />
When I talk about 'walking the walk', I mean living, breathing, eating, drinking what you believe in. No half measures. <br />
<br />
<br />
This was brought home to me in a big way last week when I met an extraordinary family. I learned so much from them. I would like to share this with you to show you what I mean by really 'walking the walk'.<br />
<br />
<br />
This Spanish family were on holiday in England. Father, mother, son (?early thirties) and his girlfriend, and also daughter (late twenties but so severely disabled (due to a very rare congenital abnormality) that she looked like a five year old). <br />
<br />
<br />
Daughter got sick, so they brought her to hospital.<br />
Only son spoke English, so he was the only one we could communicate with.<br />
<br />
<br />
The dedication which this man showed his little sister was unbelievable and great to behold. He would carry her in his arms when she needed moving. Mum and Dad were obviously devoted to her too. <br />
<br />
<br />
This family were really 'walking the walk'. Before having this disabled child, I am sure the parents' wedding vows included the words 'we will accept without reservation whatever children God gives us'. <br />
And they did. Almost thirty years later, here they are caring for the beautiful girl God gave them.<br />
Even being in hospital, whenever the nurses offered to clean her or do some other task relating to her care, the family would politely decline, and to my amusement, would give the nurses a look that said, 'why would we let someone else care for our family member? You don't see that we have two hands each? What did God give us these for? <br />
(OK, OK, I admit, these are words I <em>imagine</em> they must be saying to themselves, not words they actually verbalised, LOL).<br />
<em>This</em> is what I mean by 'walking the walk'.<br />
<br />
<br />
There is another aspect to this story that I want to draw your attention to, M.<br />
<br />
<br />
The girlfriend was identifiable as such by her (almost imperceptible) distance from the rest of the family, and that neither she nor son were wearing wedding rings.<br />
<br />
<br />
She wasn't jumping in there and taking over the care of disabled girl.<br />
Why am I applauding this woman, M?<br />
<br />
<br />
She was 'taking her time'. She wasn't <em>married</em> to son, yet. She was free to walk from this undoubtedly potentially difficult situation at any time. Afterall, once married, the care of disabled daughter might fall to her as the 'helper' of son. <br />
And, let's not forget, afterall, if this illlness were genetic (which I believe it is, having researched it), there was every chance that son was a potential carrier (it wasn't an X-linked' disease, which usually gurarantees that only women are carriers and sons are the affected) and therefore <em>her</em> potential children with son could also be affected...<br />
<br />
<br />
She was clearly spending time (as she should) with this family, to see whether they were a 'fit' for her, as much as I am sure she was also being vetted by 'son' as a potential 'fit' for him.<br />
<br />
<br />
But she wasn't overdoing the 'caring girlfriend' thing.<br />
She wasn't 'trying too hard'.<br />
She wasn't influencing his decision about her by latching onto his disabled sister as a 'crutch' to display to anyone watching what a great carer she would be. Believe me, many women would have done this.<br />
Not her.<br />
Classy woman.<br />
She was there with them. That's enough.<br />
At the right time, I have every faith that she will 'escalate' her duties accordingly, <em>and stick with them.</em><br />
<br />
<br />
This Spanish woman is doing things right.<br />
She is nice, but not<em> too</em> nice, which should make a discerning man suspicious.<br />
<br />
<br />
You see M?<br />
<br />
<br />
Don't go overboard with 'proving your love' to Glissando. <br />
<br />
<br />
In a sense, you are being like those so-called 'nice guys' who get nowhere with classy women because these women know that these guys are not really 'nice'. They are not genuine. <br />
And then the false 'truism' that 'niceness' is bad, or 'nice guys finish last' happens.<br />
It is not really about the 'niceness'. It is what is underneath the veneer of 'nice' that discerning women pick up.<br />
Likewise, men know when a woman is being genuinely nice or not.<br />
Glissando rumbled you.<br />
You need to start being genuine, M.<br />
<br />
<br />
You should be at an age now where you can see into the future. At least <em>your</em> future.<br />
'Future time orientation' is a very important skill of womanhood, love.<br />
You should be picturing at regular intervals what your future looks like, from now, if not already in your late teens.<br />
<br />
<br />
What <em>does</em> it look like, your future?<br />
And are you slowly but surely working towards it?<br />
Or are you just 'leaving it to chance' like all the other silly girls?<br />
<br />
<br />
There are things you have control over. Take control! <br />
Make good, sound, choices. Not desperate 'Trojan horse' type choices that you think men don't see for what they are. <br />
You now know that Glissando for one won't fall for it. You have been warned.<br />
<br />
<br />
The thing about good, sound choices is that they become part of who you are. You will routinely make good choices if you start now.<br />
<br />
<br />
And then there are things you have no control over. Leave them to Deity. He will look after you.<br />
If you do what is right, He will help you when things get tough.<br />
He is beta like that :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are a few scenarios of the future.<br />
Be sure to tell me which one(s) best fit in with your own plans for your future. <br />
Which one(s) are undesirable? <br />
Which one(s) are more likely to happen to you, and why?<br />
<br />
<br />
These are all questions which are designed to make you think harder about your own life. I hope they are not too harsh. <br />
But then again, better harsh questions now than harsher questions you will ask yourself if you deviate from the straight and narrow path now.<br />
I hope you agree with me on this point.<br />
But still, I really really hope you won't see these as <em>too</em> harsh. Most women will balk at something they deem too harsh. I don't want that to happen here. These are important questions for you to ponder.<br />
So just do it.<br />
<br />
<br />
You don't need to answer them here. But be sure to have answers for them in your head. In your own time.<br />
<br />
<br />
OK?<br />
Easy does it...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Scenario 1:</u><br />
<br />
<br />
This is an email I get from Glissando in seven years' time.<br />
Read it carefully.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>Hi Spacetraveller, how are ya?</em><br />
<em>Hope life finds you well.</em><br />
<em>I am still celebrating after the All Blacks won the Seven Nations. My son Reuben* is still doing the 'Haka'. Bless him, he is only three, but heck, I can see he will one day be a true kiwi warrior, hehe. Takes after his Dad, of course, LOL.</em><br />
<em>Just wanted to see how you were. Sorry our boys thrashed England. Can't say I am shedding tears, but just to let you know I feel a little bad for you 'cos I know you are a Brit.</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Anyhow, must go now. M needs a lift to the hospital. Time for the six month scan. It's a girl this time! Reuben is looking forward to being a big brother. He is already wanting to call her 'princess'.</em><br />
<em>Damn, I have to start teaching him Game, hehe.</em><br />
<em>Catch up later,</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Glissando.</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Scenario 2:</u><br />
<br />
<br />
I get this postcard from Latvia in three years' time.<br />
I am thinking, 'who do I know in Latvia?' as I read:<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>Hi ST,</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>How ya doing?</em><br />
<em>I know you won't like this, but what the heck, I'll tell ya.</em><br />
<em>Still MGHOW, but I have decided to take a 'sabbatical' from my beautiful island and do a 'Roosh' from time to time, haha.</em><br />
<em>So now I am in Latvia.</em><br />
<em>It's G'day from Latvia, LOL.</em><br />
<em>Currently seeing this blonde. 'Seeing' if you catch my drift.</em><br />
<em>It's great. She's nice, but nothing longterm, I'm afraid.</em><br />
<em>Oh well, enjoying the decline, as they say.</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I heard from M last week. Did I tell you? Right after I dumped her, she married some bloke from Christchurch pretty sharpish. Even I was taken by surprise.</em><br />
<em>Anyway, she had a kid like within six months, I swear.</em><br />
<em>Anyhow, she texted me to say she is divorcing the poor bloke.</em><br />
<em>She wants to 'meet up for drinks'.</em><br />
<em>Brrr, not sure I like this...</em><br />
<em>Anyway, back to my blonde now. She just made a cake. Can't keep the nice lady waiting, hehe.</em><br />
<em>See ya!</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Of course, M, I realise that life is <em>not</em> black and white.<br />
This is a third scenario which no woman wants.<br />
But...<br />
Every woman must face this possiblity head on, as opposed to jumping into bad decisions precisely because we don't want to face this harsh reality.<br />
There is one (ex-)woman commenter on this blog who faced this reality head on, and I know she meant it when she said she was prepared to be alone for the rest of her life doing what God demands of her, even if it meant she was 'unattractive' to most men.<br />
<br />
<br />
I know that this woman will become a marvellous wife one day.<br />
<br />
<br />
She showed (and continues to show) great commitment to God.<br />
God is kind. He won't let her down. He will honour her innermost desire one day, at a time of His choosing. This Wise woman is waiting for that time.<br />
<br />
<br />
Can you do that?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Scenario 3</u> is an excerpt from an obituary, 80 ish years from now.<br />
Don't let it depress you. Take the positives from it and work with it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>The family ________________ regret to announce the death of their beloved sister, cousin, aunt and great aunt M. She was a truly blessed human being, and her loss leaves a big hole in our lives. M leaves behind many friends, young and old, a treasured family and many acquaintances who will deeply miss her. Joyous and gracious wherever she meant, M was a ray of sunshine to all she met. Never having married nor had children of her own, M had a smile on her face every day of her long and happy life. This lady was 'Mother' to everyone in her little community on North Island. It was an honour to be related to such a beautiful human being who made all our lives a little sweeter for having known her.</em><br />
<em> Rest in peace, Aunty M. Memories of your legendary chicken pie will keep us going for a while yet!</em><br />
<em>Your loving great-nephew, Matt.</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Of course there are other scenarios yet. I am not done with you, M!<br />
<br />
<br />
This one, <u>Scenario 4,</u> is a letter from a man you don't know yet. He writes to his mum on Mother's Day. He sounds British and quite posh by the sounds of it :-):<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>Hello Mother,</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Happy Mother's Day!</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I am so sorry I cannot be with you on this special day. Hope Tom and Luke are good enough consolation prizes. Don't worry, everyone knows that *I* am your favourite son. No secret there, LOL.</em><br />
<em>Anyway, how's life, Mother?</em><br />
<em>How is Father enjoying his retirement so far? Is he itching to get back to work yet?</em><br />
<em>Gosh, has it really been a year since I last saw you guys?</em><br />
<em>Must fix that, promise!</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>I have some news for you.</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Remember that kiwi girl I went to that concert with in London back in 2016? The pretty girl who thought 'Cockfosters' was a beer, rather than a tube station?</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Anyway, I am back in New Zealand with her and her family now.</em><br />
<em>She is really sweet. I knew I was in love with her even when she was in London, but anyway...</em><br />
<em>She seemed so sad then, do you remember?</em><br />
<em>I pressed her on why she had those sad eyes, and she told me she had just broken up with some chap called Glissando back in NZ. Must be some Italian gigolo, if you ask me.</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Apparently he broke her heart. But she got over it pretty quickly. It was such a pleasure to see her come back to life as it were. It took me a long time to realise how much she meant to me. That fool Glissando will never know what he missed out on. This girl is one in a million! I would never have gotten to know her had she not dropped her phone on the table in that coffee shop in Highgate when I first met her and I ended up practising my pick-up lines on her (smile).</em><br />
<em>To cut a long story short, I finally asked her to marry me and she said 'yes'!</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>So yes, Mother, you can go buy a hat now, LOL.</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Will discuss the wedding details when I get back to London.</em><br />
<em>For now, though, M is going to show me round the island. Looking forward to THAT!</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Cheerio, and enjoy Mother's Day!</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Your best son,</em><br />
<em>Mark</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yet again, *sigh* is another scenario you might not like...<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Scenario 5:</u><br />
<br />
<br />
This is from your own blog in 2019...<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>February 13th...</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Another year, another Valentine's Day fast approaching with no date in sight.</em><br />
<em>I don't know what's wrong with men these days.</em><br />
<em>Just because I have a child...</em><br />
<em>Some guy on Date a Single Mom.com emailed me to say he would have gone for me, but for my daughter. Can you believe that? How horrible are these people? Why can't they see my daughter for the blessing that she is?</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Come to think of it, why won't Glissando take my calls these days? It's not like he has a girlfriend or anything. He is still living on his island, all alone, like me.</em><br />
<em>But he won't bother with me or Lisa*.</em><br />
<em>It's really painful nowadays to look at her. She has his face, dammit.</em><br />
<em>I wish we could have stuck together. You know, for Lisa's sake.</em><br />
<em>She has been asking me lately why she doesn't have a Daddy like all the other kids at school. Breaks my heart. </em><br />
<em>She seemed really happy for a while while I was dating Bob. She seemed to get on well with him. When he left she was devastated. I thought things would get back to normal for her when Joe arrived on the scene, but he moved on even quicker than Bob.</em><br />
<em>What is it with these men? Why won't they commit?</em><br />
<em>Where are all the good men?</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
M, you and I understand each other because we speak the same language. I can look into your soul as much as you could look into mine.<br />
From my soul to yours, I implore you to Wise up and Wake up.<br />
<br />
<br />
Feminism has many (ugly) faces. It is good that you renounce it.<br />
But don't do it by words alone.<br />
<em>Do</em> it.<br />
<em>Really</em> do it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Do the right thing, even if it seems hard.<br />
Don't offer things you don't really deep down want to give away.<br />
Not only will you respect yourself more, but the whole world would too.<br />
Starting with....Glissando.<br />
<br />
You should aim for higher things, M, and higher things will come to you.<br />
Offering cheap thrills (which is what you are doing here, sorry to say) is not the right way to brighten your life.<br />
<br />
You have so much more in you than you display to Glissando here.<br />
Bring out the best M, and you will be much, much happier in life.<br />
<br />
Peace, Young Lady.<br />
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*Names have been changed to protect the <strike>innocent</strike> unborn :-)<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-12095913351456465042014-07-30T04:32:00.002-07:002014-07-30T04:32:52.501-07:00Out, out, out!They say one should clean out the hard disk of one's computer every now and again to get the best of out it.<br />
<br />
You know...all those viruses, worms, trojans, boogeys, what have you, they take their toll on your computer, don't they?<br />
<br />
But then I took it one step further :-)<br />
<br />
I thought to clear out junk from the computer in my head.<br />
<br />
Might be a pointless exercise though - I may successfully get rid of viruses, bacteria, indeed all forms of fauna one can find in the zoology disctionary. <br />
<br />
But alas, my hamsters remain :-)<br />
<br />
Anyhow, the following words and phrases should <em>not</em> be part of my vocabulary from henceforth.<br />
These words are too closely alligned with feminism. It's a case of 'too close for comfort'.<br />
<br />
But even more annoying is that they are <em>concocted</em> words, meaning, they were words with good meaning before they were hijacked and repackaged into the 'loaded guns' they are today.<br />
<br />
Do you have words like this you want to purge from your life?<br />
<br />
Feel free to add to this list!<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>1. Empowerment</u><br />
<br />
*Sigh*.<br />
<br />
If I hear this word one more time....!<br />
<br />
I think I have alluded to the effect this word has on me, before.<br />
<br />
It is the singular most destructive word to escape from Planet Feminism, and I think it is poisoning so many young lives.<br />
<br />
To 'empower' someone is to 'invest with power', or to 'enable' or to 'endow with ability'.<br />
I get that.<br />
<br />
I think it's a great thing to do for someone who would otherwise be taken advantage of, or crumbled by someone who doesn't understand the meaning of 'magnanimous'. (Again, we touched on this in an earlier post where we discussed the difference between 'mercy' and 'pity').<br />
<br />
But why has this word been hijacked for an ignoble cause?<br />
<br />
Any Tonia, Delia or Harriet is 'empowered' when she does something wrong and unsavoury.<br />
This is the wrong use of such a noble word.<br />
<br />
And for this reason, the word has to go.<br />
<br />
Delete...<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>2. AMALT/AWALT</u><br />
<br />
<br />
I don't like this one either.<br />
<br />
Having never believed AMALT, I am not inclined to think AWALT either.<br />
<br />
What's more, I see this as the perfect endgame to feminism.<br />
<br />
Here is the internal dialogue:<br />
<br />
<em>"We are women who have failed in our womanhood, our feminity. We have failed miserably against men. Only a few of us are still what we should be. Why not muddy the waters for everyone, men in particular? Why don't we present all womanhood as tainted, so that it would be hard for these men to distinguish between us?"</em><br />
<br />
These same women, somewhere along the way, bought into the 'all men are pigs' lullaby. Now they want the AWALT tune to be played on every jukebox in the world.<br />
<br />
This scenario was brought home to me in a stark way when last weekend I was 'waitressing' for a group of women who were meeting up for an official 'women's group' meeting. Totally accidental that I ended up serving up refreshments (long story), but I became a silent observer in what turned out to be a slow decline into a whinging session about men.<br />
<br />
It turned out most of those women were divorced. I knew some of them. Some of them had had serious transgression against them by their ex-husbands. Some of the others were the transgressors themselves in their dealings with their ex-husbands.<br />
Like I say, I knew some of them.<br />
What was interesting is that both groups homogenised so effortlessly that it was hard to see who was the 'good guy' and who was the 'bad guy', so to speak.<br />
It was absolutely stupefying to watch the 'bad guys' play the victim so shamelessly, and the 'good guys' were none the wiser - or perhaps they were aware of what was happening but were powerless to challenge it.<br />
<br />
It certainly suited the 'bad guys' to shield themselves under the halo of the 'good guys'.<br />
And yet, *I* knew there was a world of difference between these groups.<br />
<br />
I am sure the same can be said for different varieties of men too.<br />
<br />
So AMALT/AWALT - deleted.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>3. I am worth it/ I deserve...</u><br />
<br />
Like 'empowerment', this phrase is not at all helpful.<br />
Whilst in theory, <em>everyone</em> deserves X or Y, in reality, <em>no-one</em> deserves X or Y.<br />
X or Y is best <em>earned</em>.<br />
<br />
It is a disservice to persistently give a child (male or female) the impression that they <em>deserve</em> something.<br />
<br />
It leads to shooting sprees.<br />
It leads to a painful life.<br />
It leads to misery which sadly, turns out to be self-induced.<br />
<br />
If a good reason cannot be given for why X or Y is deserved, then it is <em>not</em> deserved.<br />
<br />
<br />
Delete...<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>4. I am concerned/I am uncomfortable...</u><br />
<br />
<br />
I have learned to run - very fast - whenever I hear these words. It usually implies that something very bad is about to happen.<br />
<br />
I can't fully explain this one, except to say it is a loaded gun that is often used to instantly silence one.<br />
It comes from the 'politically correct' brigade, and with the law behind it, can be used against anyone at anytime. I have seen it in action (from afar, mind) and it is not too pretty to watch.<br />
<br />
You guys ( and some ladies) know what I am talking about.<br />
I feel your pain.<br />
<br />
Delete...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>5. My feeling is...</u><br />
<br />
This one is the cousin of 'I am concerned...'<br />
<br />
I am ambivalent about this because this one is just a precursor to 'I am concerned...'<br />
<br />
I am not sure if it should be deleted.<br />
Feelings are great - I swim in them.<br />
<br />
But they should never be a substitute for reality.<br />
The problem is, some of us (aherm!) rely too heavily on this.<br />
<br />
Maybe this one should go in the 'draft' folder, for further analysis :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>6. Creepy/pervy</u><br />
<br />
<br />
As I said to Metak in the last post, this is just a 'below the belt' insult directed at undesirable men. It has no real meaning, other than 'whatever you want it to mean'.<br />
<br />
For this reason, it too goes into the 'delete' box.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>7. Embrace...</u><br />
<br />
Funny how before 1997, this word only meant 'to hug' to me :-)<br />
<br />
Now we have to 'embrace our fears', 'embrace our sexuality', 'embrace our failings'...<br />
<br />
What is it really a code word for?<br />
What do these words mean?<br />
Why are they in use?<br />
Who is 'releasing' them one at a time?<br />
Why are we accepting them?<br />
<br />
<br />
Delete...<br />
<br />
<br />
Any grievences against words that should not be in common usgae in the public domain?<br />
<br />
Let's bring 'em out and crush 'em in the village square!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Um, does that sound a bit too militant?<br />
Disempower me...<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-54732088764465501182014-07-19T17:06:00.003-07:002014-07-19T17:11:32.836-07:00A woman's wordI think this post should have a different title. But I am clinging to this one for dear life because I really want to highlight a particular thought. It is a specific concept that I don't want to lose sight of. Knowing myself, I am wont to go off on a tangent, but I musn't let myself do this in <em>this</em> post.<br />
<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>La Spacetraveller</em> was just sitting here minding her own business when a commenter posted something which made her jump, metaphorically speaking...<br />
<br />
<br />
Are there any German- or Italian-speaking people here at The Sanctuary?<br />
I love the use of the definite article in both these languages.<br />
<br />
<br />
It's never just 'Rainer'. It is <em>der</em> Rainer.<br />
It's never just 'Little Giovanna'. It is <em>La</em> Giovann<em>ina</em>.<br />
<br />
<br />
LOL.<br />
<br />
<br />
Anonymous said to me in <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/the-hunt-for-patron-saint-of-mgtow-is.html?showComment=1402874035801" target="_blank">this</a> post:<br />
<br />
<br />
"All I have is a "Woman's word." That's not good enough for me. ..."<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
*</div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
And then I immediately discovered that I had <em>two</em> hamsters rather than the usual furry lone ranger :-)<br />
<br />
One of them is the one I was born with, and is distinctly female.<br />
The other one I am not sure where it came from, but its gender is indeterminate, or perhaps more relevant to this post, may be a <em>hybrid</em> and can switch from male to female on a whim. It is perhaps a 'higher order' hamster or something, but I think I trust it more than my original hamster. Well, I don't know.<br />
Judge for yourself, for I was able to record a conversation between these two hamsters once. No video, just audio :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Just so you know, the female hamster (which I shall call 'Hamster 1') has a french accent. The 'indeterminate sex' hamster ('Hamster 2') for some reason has a Cockney British accent and is distinctly a Londoner. It likes to play 'devil's advocate' and has definitely got trousers on today, so it is male today. It however has a definite feminine side on other occasions depending on what Hamster 1 says. <br />
Hamster 2 never starts conversations. It leaves that to Hamster 1 :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hamster 1: <em>Mais, c'est pas vrai!</em> Mais non, vat is ze veld coming to? <em>C'est pas possible!</em> (sigh). <em>Quoi faire...Mon Dieu, c'est franchement une catastrophe!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
Hamster 2: Oi, cupcake, keep yer hair on. What's happened that's getting yer knickers in a twist, love?<br />
<br />
Hamster 1: <em>Mais, mon ami</em>, haven't you heard? Zese men are now vanting les femmes to give zem zeir verd, like zese vimen, zey are men! <em>Mais, c'est quoi ça, ce truc!</em> <em>C'est vraiment incroyable!</em><br />
<br />
Hamster 2: Eh? What? Yer having a strop because some bloke wants wimmin to be held to their word, just like blokes? Cor blimey! What are ya like? If you ask me, it's about time an' all!<br />
<br />
Hamster 1: But zat is not ze point! It is not about making les femmes more accountable, it is more about making les femmes into les hommes! It is not <em>naturel!</em> C'est dingue! Eet ees crazy! Quite wrong!<br />
<br />
Hamster 2: Calm down dear! Not the end of the world...<br />
<br />
Hamster 1: Mais it is, mon ami! Vee take away the nature of les hommes et les femmes, and it vill be ze end of ze world! I don't vant to be forced to be giving people 'gentleman's agreement'. <em>Je suis une femme!</em> <em>Je suis une femme! JE SUIS UNE FEMME!!!!!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
Hamster 2: Jeez, get a grip, Darlin'! It ain't that bad! I bloody knew I shouldn' a' got out of bed this morning...I knew my day weren't gonna go like I dreamed, like. First ya get some hysterical bird getting up yer grill, then before ya know it, it's all gone dan sath from here. It's all gone Pete Tong on ya. Bang out of order, if yer ask me!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
See what you started, Anonymous?<br />
<br />
<br />
Bad enough for one hamster to spin out of control. Now you've gone and upset <em>both</em> of me hamsters and now we've got World War 3 in me hamster wheel.<br />
Spare a thought for me :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Do you see Hamster 1's point of view, by the way?<br />
<br />
<br />
I fully realise that you and I are actually on the same side of the table here, and this is quite confusing for me. (I feel I <em>shouldn't</em> be on the same side as you on this particular issue). You have spun me into a state of cognitive dissonance, and I am not sure how to get myself out of <em>this </em>rabbit-hole.<br />
Make sense?<br />
It doesn't make sense to me either, but I shall try to explain myself better below...<br />
<br />
About 2 or 3 years ago, I remember walking down to the city centre of my city on a Saturday afternoon. It was crowded as I headed for the shops. I was walking behind two young men. They were probably in their late teens. One was animatedly showing a photo on his i-phone to the other. I was so close behind them that I could see the photo.<br />
<br />
<br />
The one who was being shown the photo said, " That is so gay". I craned my neck to see what was so 'gay'. The photo on the i-phone was of a woman wearing a dress. That's it.<br />
<br />
<br />
I was intrigued by the episode, and got curious about it, but there was no way I could make any sense of it until I understood the SMP better a year or two after that episode.<br />
<br />
<br />
I have heard more than one person declare that the result of the shenanigans of the SMP/feminism/modernism, whatever we want to call it, is that in response to the masculinisation of women (cause or effect of thesexual revolution?), men have become <em>more masculinised</em>, not<em> </em>feminised.<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes.<br />
<br />
<br />
In response to feminism and masculine women, men have become <em>hypermasculinised</em>.<br />
<br />
<br />
But, you say: women everywhere are declaring that they can't find <em>masculine</em> men anymore. Men remain 'little boys' well into their thirties now. They are all 'mama's boys' living in Mama's basement playing computer games, with no masculine skills, hence 'women need men like fish need bicycles', etc...<br />
<br />
<br />
Cause or effect?<br />
<br />
<br />
A well-known Manosphere blog (I shall leave it to you to guess which one :-) published a post a few months ago about the state of men and women today. The blogger correctly pointed out that women have taken on masculine values - for better or worse. I guess he meant it in the wider sense than just physical (i.e. in the realm of workforce, relationship roles, etc.) but the picture he posted to depict this picture was of a young physically fit woman with a 'six pack' abdomen.<br />
<br />
<br />
This blogger was quite pleased with this development within the SMP. He noted that fifty years ago, it wasn't usual to find such toned, fine specimens of women. That men were happy with women as they were in the 50's sans 'six pack' was conveniently brushed aside :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
But that's not the point I want to draw your attenttion to.<br />
<br />
<br />
In describing 'modern man', this blogger posted a picture of a man suffering from a disease known as 'Klinefelter syndrome'.<br />
<br />
<br />
For those who need a visual, this is what a Klinefelter patient looks like:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJLjecf8Dj4/U8rs5sJTqWI/AAAAAAAAAlY/yK02fOKOvj0/s1600/Klinefelter-Syndrome-chest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJLjecf8Dj4/U8rs5sJTqWI/AAAAAAAAAlY/yK02fOKOvj0/s1600/Klinefelter-Syndrome-chest.png" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
He is a man with an extra complement of female chromosome X. He looks like a woman (wide hips, breast tissue, female type body distribution of fat). He is learning disabled and is usually infertile.<br />
<br />
<br />
Quite rightly, this blogger was challenged on his perception of his fellow men by his, well, fellow men.<br />
<br />
<br />
I see everyday that the blogger is incorrect in his assertion that modern men are feminised. At least I sincerely believe that feminised men are a minority in the general male population.<br />
<br />
<br />
Those that are indeed feminised in their physical appearance or their thinking, are quickly eliminated from the gene pool, sometimes in the most swift and brutal way possible, sometimes at their own hand.<br />
<br />
<br />
I don't have to look too far or too far <em>bac</em>k to provide an example of this swift elimination. A young man who believed himself to be a victim of women's rejection of him despite his <em>fabulousness</em> (he used this very feminine word <em>a lot</em> in his manifesto) despite never approaching women like men usually have to do, and who gives the impression of being entitled to something he need not earn, recently brutally and tragically ended his own and others' lives.<br />
<br />
Yes, he had serious problems stemming from a long way back in his life. But the result was an extremely feminised way of thinking which, as a woman he would have got away with, but as a man, it killed him. Literally.<br />
<br />
<br />
I mention no names because I would not like to focus not on the man himself, but his story, which is relevant to what I am trying desperately to tease out of my confused brain.<br />
<br />
<br />
It <em>is</em> confusing.<br />
<br />
<br />
Many would say that this guy was acting like a man. Brutal murder and suicide? That's traditionally associated with (abnormal, of course) masculinity. <br />
True.<br />
But this chap got to where he got to by way of highly feminised thinking. Not necessarily femin<em>ine</em>, but femin<em>ised</em>, for sure. <br />
<br />
<br />
But he is in the minority.<br />
<br />
<br />
Most men, as an adaptation to the modern world, I think, have become more masculine in their dealings with women, not less.<br />
I have no issue with this, because I can see that this is a logical approach, something that men are wired to do.<br />
I merely make the observation.<br />
<br />
Is this something akin to the internal monologue?? (Correct me if I am way off base, gentlemen!)<br />
<br />
<em>They want equality in the workplace?</em> <br />
Then they must work as hard and ss long as us to get equal pay to us.<br />
<br />
<em>They want sexual freedom?</em> <br />
Then they must be made to face the sexual realities of men, including rejection.<br />
<br />
<em>They want to kill their own snakes?</em><br />
Why, let them!<br />
<br />
<br />
And so on.<br />
<br />
<br />
And now I get closer to my 'crux of the matter'.<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>They want men to be held accountable for everything?</em><br />
Then they too should be held to their 'word'.<br />
<br />
<br />
A gentleman's word is his bond. This is a well-established social convention, no?<br />
<br />
<br />
A woman used to have her own (feminine) way of arriving at her 'destination' of honour and accountability. And men allowed that 'wriggle room' because women used to honour this flexibility accorded them by men. Like chivlary, it is a concept of men honouring (good) women because they know that said women will not kick them where it hurts.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now that it is clear that women have waged a war on men where no man was actually prepared for such a war, the sleeping giant has woken up and is now upset that Gulliver pinched his little finger. <br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
'Anonymous' is such a giant.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now he wants a woman's word to <em>count</em> like a man's does.<br />
<br />
<br />
He wants a woman to be a man, and yet remain a woman.<br />
<br />
<br />
Bellita once said that when women were real women, they did a good job of it. Now that women have exposed themselves not to be trustworthy, the ask of them has only grown.<br />
Now you have to be <em>both</em> a woman in every sense, <em>and</em> a man to de deserving of a man's respect.<br />
<br />
<br />
We spoke once of the 'masculine woman'.<br />
<br />
<br />
I found a perfect visual of this concept...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/YMyPkQTLM2o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I know this woman is a comedienne...<br />
I know she is parodying women...and perhaps men too. (Is she Hamster 2-like? :-)<br />
I know this is some kind of joke...<br />
And I actually like this kind of woman (but does this say something about <em>my</em> own - perhaps flawed - brand of femininity, I wonder? :-)<br />
<br />
And yet...<br />
I keep thinking <em>something's wrong</em> when I look at this woman :-)<br />
<br />
Anyone care to explain to me why I might be feeling this way? Why do I feel something akin to Catholic guilt if I admit I like her, as though I am colluding with some sort of gender enemy, betraying my oath to the gender police to uphold traditional gender roles? Why am I so bothered with this? As Hamster 2 would say, why am I getting my knickers in a twist about something that really might not be so important in the grand scheme of things?<br />
<br />
<br />
More importantly, how do you (if you are a man) react to this all-feminine but also weirdly masculine woman? Perfect balance of the masculnie and feminine, or a gender experiment gone wrong?<br />
<br />
<br />
Please share! I am genuinely intrigued by this.<br />
<br />
<br />
I have two conflicting views on the hypermasculinisation of society.<br />
<br />
On the one hand, I am pleased that guys like Anonymous expect more of women. I think it's great that for the first time in history, women as a group are called to 'show their mettle' in this way. I see this as an opportunity rather than a failing.<br />
This is largely because I have never seen women as lacking 'moral' or any other kind of agency. It did surprise me somewhat to see that so many men in the Manosphere have this view. My humble opinion is that while men may (in general) have more capacity for moral aptitude than women (except sexual, perhaps, in the younger years where women are intrinsically biologically wired to have more capability in this regard) this does in no way indicate that women are not endowed with this capacity <em>intrinsically</em>.<br />
That many women have demonstrated a rather alarming departure from expectation does not equate to a <em>biological</em> ineptitude. It <em>has</em> to be a social programming issue.<br />
<br />
So I think women should be just as accountable as men. I am not one to shirk away from the accountability issue.<br />
<br />
So I am cool with Anonymous' way of thinking.<br />
<br />
But here's the problem...<br />
<br />
Other than for Nadia G, and a few other women like her, forcing women into 'a man's world' could be painful for <em>both</em> men and women.<br />
<br />
The rise in masculine-style 'dating' may have been started by women, yes. The 'let's hang out' lifestyle is never ideal for women, whether we know it or not. If men continue to perpetuate it, and punish femininity with insults like 'gay', a whole lot of otherwise feminine-inclined women will end up as confused as I am :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_311449828"></span><span id="goog_311449829">My issue with the unintended consequences of hypermasculinity is that the meandering, indirect, 'scenic route' that femininity has always entailed will be dealt one last fatal blow.</span><br />
<br />
And then what?<br />
<br />
Femininity has taken many near-fatal blows in the last few decades.<br />
Anonymous' words are the equivalent of a chilling 'do not resuscitate' order to an already flagging casualty.<br />
This is what made me jump.<br />
<br />
It is what it is. A runaway train. We all helplessly watch it leave the railtracks.<br />
It would be interesting to see where it ends up.<br />
Nowhere good, I suspect.<br />
<br />
But I wonder if we women can turn this around?<br />
<br />
Will this convo be the internal talk of many a woman in the future?<br />
<br />
<em>They want us to shake their hands and give them our word?</em><br />
No problem! A lady's word is her <em>bonde</em>!<br />
And it is <em>sacred</em>.<br />
We will wear our dresses and do what is correctly asked of us, with no fuss.<br />
We are not gay! We are women!<br />
<br />
Yo.<br />
<br />
I look forward to the day when this thinking is commonplace.<br />
Not least because I shall have to pick Anonymous' jaw off the floor :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I know this post is long enough already :-) but I am curious about something else!<br />
<br />
Anonymous, who <em>are</em> these women who are promising you stuff?<br />
<br />
Is this the new way in the SMP? I never heard of any woman giving their 'word' on their future behaviour within a relationship. Have I missed a trend?<br />
<br />
I have always believed that you men are visual, not just with your attraction cues when 'assessing' a woman, but also when you 'judge' her as wife or girlfriend potential or not, as the case may be.<br />
<br />
It is women who 'listen' out for promises. We are auditory!<br />
<br />
You men just <em>watch</em> for clues, don't you? So why does a woman's <em>word</em> matter to you?<br />
<br />
Do I need re-educating on this?<br />
Perhaps I do!<br />
<br />
Maybe you could help me with this...<br />
<br />
In the film 'Out of Africa', Denis and Karen are having an argument.<br />
<br />
Curiously he says to her mid-argument: "You have no idea of the effect <em>language</em> has on me..."<br />
<br />
This around the 8.10 mark in this video:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/KKn8_RhR1zo/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/KKn8_RhR1zo&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/KKn8_RhR1zo&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
I have never understood this... What does he mean?<br />
<br />
Are you and Denis a different breed of man? Are you 'new age men' or is this a regular thing with men in general? In which case, why am I soo misinformed?<br />
Why do words have such a powerful effect on you? Or are you very much in the middle of the Gaussian distribution on this, and poor old Spacetraveller just needs to go back to school on the subject of men...?<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
I am afraid my confusion reigns supreme. Perhaps I could use this post to clear the muddy waters...<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-46693371996993912802014-06-28T04:39:00.001-07:002014-06-28T07:37:54.039-07:00The SMP Classical repertoire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Take your seats, Ladies and Gentlemen!<br />
<br />
<br />
(Or if you prefer 'the gods', secure your standing spot!)<br />
<br />
<br />
For you are about to be treated to a classical concert here at The Sanctuary :-)<br />
Welcome to the SMP Classics :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Down Under recently reminded me just how much I love classical music. And The SMP being the main topic of this blog, why not combine classical music with my favourite all-time topic?<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Without any further ado, let the show begin!<br />
<br />
<br />
I bring you...The Top Twenty SMP classics...<br />
<br />
Note: In <em>this</em> concert, it really is the <em>music</em> that counts, NOT the musicians or the video images...remember this is an <em>auditory</em> exercise, not visual. Work with me here, gentlemen. The ladies already get me :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Bearing in mind my name, there could only be one introduction to tonight's concert...<br />
<br />
<br />
Welcome to Planet SMP :-)<br />
At least that's what Zarathustra says :-)<br />
<br />
Take it away, Richard Strauss!<br />
<span id="goog_957592798"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_957592799">Men are from Mars...<br />
</span><br />
<span id="goog_957592799"></span><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
Women are from Venus...<br />
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Representing the alpha male types...<br />
Whoa, can you feel the awesome power?<br />
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And the sweet, feminine gals...<br />
How lovely! How charming! How utterly feminine!<br />
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Mr. Cool is in town. He doesn't understand why he can't move for girls throwing themselves at him...<br />
Confidence, perhaps? Oh, I don't know...! Why <em>does</em> this piece remind me of The King of Siam?<br />
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This lady scores highly (on both counts) on the hot-crazy scale. She <em>should</em> be avoided, but there's no stopping her admirers...of which there are legion :-)<br />
They just can't help themselves :-)<br />
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This man is off 'on the town' with his wingman...aw, love the bromance!<br />
Hm...pearl fishing...<br />
Is this a new PUA term??<br />
:-)<br />
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The good girls are praying for husbands...</div>
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The bad girls are smoking dope in the nearest bar...<br />
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The PUAs are getting busy...<br />
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A little something nocturnal for our party boys and girls? Keep it <strike>klein</strike> clean, Herr Mozart, this is a family <strike>show</strike> blog! :-)<br />
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Show me your dance moves ! (male edition)<br />
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Work it, girl! :-)<br />
Can you too picture the Turkish belly dancer?<br />
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It's a date!<br />
But...'first date' nerves rule :-(<br />
Oooooh, the nail-biting is almost palpable here (shudder)...<br />
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How <em>rom</em>antic!<br />
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She said yes!!!<br />
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But <em>this</em> is how he really feels about marriage :-)<br />
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She is already planning the big day...<br />
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And somewhere in a far away Celestial Galaxy, St. Jerome is shaking his head...<br />
It's a tragedy! Another young man falls to his death! Get the funeral cortege ready!<br />
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Hahahahahahahahahahaha!<br />
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Thanks for the inspiration, Down Under.<br />
I really enjoyed compiling this :-)<br />
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Any suggestions to add to this list, folks? If it's classical, it's in :-)<br />
All entries will be enthusiastically considered :-)<br />
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<u>Addendum:</u><br />
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As to the future of the SMP, I would be failing if I didn't end on a positive note.<br />
I shall let Karl Jenkins have the last word.<br />
Indeed, he is right: When it comes to the war of the sexes, <em>better is peace than always war</em>.</div>
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Ring out the old, bring in the new!<br />
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Take it away, Karl...</div>
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-65528173319495275422014-06-03T08:58:00.006-07:002014-06-13T08:21:25.009-07:00The hunt for the patron saint of MGTOW is over: Meet St. Jerome!Apparently, there is no limit to the depths of insanity to which I will sink :-)<br />
<br />
<em>Mea culpas</em> aside, I must however keep to the 'feminine imperative' narrative and <em>blame a man</em> :-)<br />
<br />
*Someone put me up to this. He set me a task I had never sought to undertake before, but which I relish because it is precisely the sort of <em>daytime reverie</em> I like to indulge in in my own personal time and space.<br />
<br />
So, ahoy, descent into utter Madness we go (with a capital M)!<br />
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<br />
<br />
But first, a confession of sorts...<br />
<br />
At Mass on 'Christi Himmelfahrt' or 'Auffahrt' as 'Ascension' is now known to me, the priest asked what I took at first to be a rhetorical question: 'Which period in The Church's calendar is the holiest of all?'<br />
I smugly sat there thinking, 'but of course, 'Easter', when else?'<br />
<br />
Turns out I was wrong. Apparently, the correct answer is....the ten days between Ascension and Pentecost!<br />
Who'dda thunk? The holiest period in the Christian 'timetable' is <em>now</em>...<br />
And here I am, a Christian woman, about to take a saint, a Doctor of the Church no less(!) to task about what he wrote 1700 years ago which offends my feminine sensibilities. :P<br />
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I feel a 'forgive me Father for I have sinned' coming on shortly...<br />
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<br />
With respect to the task at hand, I had been racking my brains for a few weeks now as to how to tackle my <em>'mission impossible'</em>.<br />
My brief was simply... a conversation with St. Jerome on his views on MGTOW.<br />
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Yes, St. Jerome, a saint of The Church thought 1700 years ago that men should not marry. That women were nothing but trouble. <br />
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And here I was thinking this was a modern problem :-)<br />
<br />
I didn't get anywhere with this project until a plaque (of a poem by Christophe Plantin) hanging above my old piano startled me a few weeks ago. I have had this plaque ever since an old french-speaking relative of mine gave it to me around 15 years ago. Years of piano practice, and I never even so much as glanced at it. Now that I no longer live in my childhood home, I saw it <em>as though for the first time</em>, with fresh eyes, so to speak.<br />
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I provide the french version, because I think it is beautiful: I highlight the part which gripped me the most:<br />
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<em>Le bonheur de ce monde</em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
<em>Avoir une maison commode, propre et belle, <br />Un jardin tapissé d'espaliers odorans, <br />Des fruits, d'excellent vin, peu de train, peu d'enfans, <br />Posseder seul sans bruit <strong>une femme fidèle</strong>,<br /><br />N'avoir dettes, amour, ni procès, ni querelle, <br />Ni de partage à faire avecque ses parens, <br />Se contenter de peu, n'espérer rien des Grands, <br />Régler tous ses desseins sur un juste modèle,<br /><br />Vivre avecque franchise et sans ambition, <br />S'adonner sans scrupule à la dévotion, <br />Dompter ses passions, les rendre obéissantes,<br /><br />Conserver l'esprit libre, et le jugement fort, <br />Dire son chapelet en cultivant ses entes, <br />C'est attendre chez soi bien doucement la mort.</em><br />
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<br />
And in English:<br />
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<em>The happiness of this world</em><br />
<br />
<em>To have a comfortable house, clean and fair;<br />A walled garden lined with fragrant trees;<br />Fruit and fine wine, few servants and few children;<br />The only lover of <strong>a faithful wife</strong>;<br /><br />No debts, no love-affairs, lawsuits nor feuds,<br />No wills to haggle out with relatives,<br />Simply content, dependent on no magnate,<br />And by a righteous rule to rule one's life;<br /><br />To live in frankness, from ambition far;<br />With conscience clear devoted to devotion,<br />To tame one's passions until they obey,<br /><br />To keep the spirit free and judgement strong,<br />Saying one's prayers while looking to one's pear-trees:<br />A kindly way at home to wait for Death.</em><br />
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I keep finding 'rules for a happy man to live by' everywhere I look these days...I even found one in <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/06/know-your-body.html" target="_blank">Beethoven's music</a> a while back, but this one seems to be the best blueprint of all.<br />
So who <em>was</em> this Christophe Plantin?<br />
<br />
According to Wikipedia, he was a french printer, a Catholic with humanistic tendencies (go figure). Significantly, he was intrumental in printing a lot of The Church's works, notably, those of St. Jerome.<br />
<br />
I started to get excited when I noticed this.<br />
<br />
After having read St. Jerome's 'Anti-Marriage rant' known as <em><a href="http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/canttales/wbpro/jer-men.html" target="_blank">Adversus Jovinianus, Chapter 48</a></em>, I suddenly got a sense of <em>déjà vu </em>on seeing Christophe Plantin's words again after so many years.<br />
<br />
And I think the reason the words in bold struck me so much was the very real sense that they seemed 'out of place' in a 'Manosphere' anthem such as this seemed to be. It seemed to me that Christophe Plantin (born in 1520), had taken these words out of the mouth of St. Jerome, but had added his own little twist. Afterall, Plantin was a married man with six kids!<br />
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So what could I possibly say to The Venerable St. Jerome?<br />
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Here is a transcript of our conversation, which admitttedly took place only in my head.<br />
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ST: St. Jerome, I come before you with a sincere request.<br />
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SJ: (Polishes halo, strokes beard, squints at me).<br />
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ST: I would like to understand your work 'Against Jovinianus', especially Chapter 48. There is plenty in there that I do not understand. I wish to understand more.<br />
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SJ: (Picks up feather pen, adjusts robe): What I wrote in 'Against Jovinianus' is not meant to be understood by mere mortals of the female kind. It is what it is.<br />
<br />
ST: (Retains composure, frantically fishing for an alternaive approach): It is by listening to what the elders of The Church teach that the rest of God's flock may be saved. I have no-one to turn to but you on this specialist matter. No other saint, it seems to me, understands this particular issue more than you. Hear me! Engage with me!<br />
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SJ: (Picks nose and flicks residue in direction of a dove, who dodges): I am hearing you. Speak, my child.<br />
<br />
ST: I thank you, Your Holiness.<br />
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SJ: Call me Jerome. Or Jerry.<br />
<br />
ST: (smiles). Jerome. Nice to meet you. (Shakes hand. Surprisingly warm hands for someone who has been dead a few hundred years).<br />
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SJ: Speak!<br />
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ST: Why do you wish to deprive your fellow man of a companion 'in this vale of tears' in the manner in which God ordained? Why do you only see women as evil, unclean, unworthy?<br />
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SJ: (Irritated): I do not!<br />
<br />
ST: This is what you say, Jerome. Right here - 'We read of a certain Roman noble who, when his friends found fault with him for having divorced a wife, beautiful, chaste, and rich, put out his foot and said to them, "And the shoe before you looks new and elegant, yet no one but myself knows where it pinches." '<br />
<br />
Another example: 'Whole tragedies of Euripides are censures on women. Hence Hermione says, "The counsels of evil women have beguiled me." '<br />
<br />
Yet another: 'In all the bombast of tragedy and the overthrow of houses, cities, and kingdoms, it is the wives and concubines who stir up strife. Parents take up arms against their children; unspeakable banquets are served; and on account of the rape of one wretched woman Europe and Asia are involved in a ten years' war.'<br />
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Why do you only see the bad in women? <br />
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SJ: I only report what I see, ST.<br />
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ST: Yes, fair is thine word. But were there no better examples than the ones you chronicle in this book of yours? Were there no good women around you?<br />
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SJ: (Shakes head, sighs): You miss the point of my book!<br />
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ST: (Incredulous): But <em>how</em>? I quote back to you what you yourself say!<br />
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SJ: Yes, and what you quote back to me is taken out of context!<br />
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ST: (Inhales): So, explain me...this is precisely why I come to you.<br />
<br />
SJ: There is a reason I wrote this book for <em>men</em>. A man would have understood what I wrote. Chapter 48 is merely a prelude to Chapter 49, in which I outline the rules for <em>both</em> men and women, in which can be found marital happiness if indeed a man <em>must</em> marry. In the instruction of a man, he must understand the risks of this undertaking that marriage is. The language I use is severe, yes. But it is the language that a man understands. For it is <em>he</em> who takes on the burden of a wife and family. I soften not my words for him, for in so doing, I fail him. I tell him what he needs to know. If after everything he hears from me he chooses to marry, be it on his head the consequences of his actions. A man must be responsible for the decisions of his own self and his household. This is not something I expect a woman however intelligent to understand.<br />
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ST: Forgive me, Jerome. I do not intend to belittle your advice to men. If it is not contrary to your principles, I still seek to understand. Is it bad for me to try to understand you?<br />
<br />
SJ: Not at all. But you tread on dangerous ground. This path is not flowery. It is not pretty. It may not be safe for a woman. Do you wish to proceed nonetheless?<br />
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ST: By all means if it is not sinful so to do!<br />
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SJ: (Laughs): No, not sinful, no. Foolhardy, yes.<br />
<br />
ST: Then so be it. I shall be a fool in the quest for knowledge!<br />
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SJ: So be it, then. Your wish is my command.<br />
<br />
ST: Thank you. May we shake hands on that again?<br />
<br />
SJ: (Waves a way my hand): No more handskaes. Once was enough.<br />
<br />
ST: (Sharp intake of breath, mournful look): OK. I get it. This won't be pretty.<br />
<br />
SJ: Exactly. Let's keep to the script. A man must get over his petty joys and pleasures and see the world as it is, before he takes on the responsibility of wife and child(ren). It is the essence of masculinity. Even with faith, this is a pre-requisite, for to do otherwise is a recipe for failure. From whence I get my various examples outlined in Chapter 48. Capisci?<br />
<br />
ST: You are Italian-speaking, St. Jerome!<br />
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SJ: (Shakes head): Did you not know I lived in Rome, ST?<br />
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ST: (Smiles, then lightbulb moment): Ah! I see! So you are giving examples of where men <em>can</em> go wrong!<br />
<br />
SJ: Exactly! See? You can be intelligent when you want to be.<br />
<br />
ST: I see your line of thinking now. But I have to admit, it wasn't so clear reading Chapter 48.<br />
<br />
SJ: You were never meant to read Chapter 48 <em>in isolation</em>.<br />
<br />
ST: True.<br />
<br />
SJ: In Chapter 49, I give advice to young women to be chaste. This is the best way to persuade men to marry them. Do you know what chastity in a young woman leads to for a man who marries, ST?<br />
<br />
ST: (Pause, pause, pause, another lightbulb moment): <em>Une femme fidèle!</em><br />
<br />
SJ: (Mock bow): <em>Exactement!</em> Well done, ST. This is the point your married friend Christophe Plantin was making when he lists the characteristics of a happy life for a man. Christophe found a <em>femme fidèle</em>. If he hadn't, he would have written his own 'Against Jovinianus'.<br />
<br />
ST: (Mock surprise): How did you know about Plantin?<br />
<br />
SJ: Come on now...I am a saint. I am immortal. Honestly, you mortals!<br />
<br />
ST: (Laughs).<br />
<br />
SJ: I am <em>not</em> against marriage, ST. I am very much for holy marriages. It is precisely because I see that many men are not yet ready for marriage, and indeed many women are chronically unsuitable for marriage that I give the next best advice: do not marry: seek an alternative path to salvation. The next generation is dependent on the sanctity of marriage. Done wrong, an unholy marriage is a breeding ground for devil's troops. I say it clearly in the first paragraph of Chapter 48: 'And shall he desire children and delight himself in a long line of descendants, who will perhaps fall into the clutches of Antichrist, when we read that Moses and Samuel preferred other men to their own sons, and did not count as their children those whom they saw to be displeasing to God?'<br />
A good marriage produces 'soldiers for christ'.<br />
<br />
ST: (Nodding): Because a holy marriage is a <em>sacrament</em>. An unholy marriage is just another path to hell...<br />
<br />
SJ: Well, put that way, it seems harsh, but yes. You are beginning to get the hang of this.<br />
<br />
ST: You are a good teacher.<br />
<br />
SJ: They didn't elect me 'Doctor of The Church' for nothing, you know!<br />
<br />
ST: True dat!<br />
<br />
SJ: So, <em>now</em> do you understand? I teach what is right, for men. You women can also learn something from me. The details you can learn from the virtuous women of The Church. Of which there are many.<br />
<br />
ST: Yes, like Our Lady.<br />
<br />
SJ: Well, she is the best. But there are others. Saintly women dead or alive are everywhere.<br />
<br />
ST: I know...<br />
<br />
SJ: Good. Follow them. Listen to them. Watch what they do. You can't go wrong by doing that.<br />
<br />
ST: Thank you Jerome.<br />
<br />
SJ: (Yawns): Anytime. Now I must get some shut-eye. Not a bed of roses being a saint you know. Everyday, I get some mortal upstart calling me up to interrogate me about one of my books...<br />
<br />
ST: (Downcast): But I already apologised....I didn't mean to...!<br />
<br />
SJ: Relax, ST. Just teasing. You need to toughen up. (Winks).<br />
<br />
ST: (Smiles, puts hands up in air): Ok, Ok, I get it.<br />
<br />
SJ: Over and out, ST. Go in peace. Have faith.<br />
<br />
ST: Thank you, Jerome. Greetings to your fellow saints.<br />
<br />
SJ: Thumbs up.<br />
<br />
<br />
End of conversation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So there we have it. My conversation with the patron saint of MGTOW.<br />
<br />
Turns out he may not be as misogynistic as I first thought. He is an alright dude, really. Maybe he could have made a great husband for some chick back in 370 AD?<br />
<br />
Who knows?<br />
<br />
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*Someone may or may not choose to identify himself in the comments.Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-21769557066836819492014-04-26T19:08:00.002-07:002014-04-26T20:07:47.280-07:00Shall we dance? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!In other words, Film Review: The King and I.<br />
<br />
I never really warmed to this film growing up, at least not like how I did to <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.com/2012/09/film-review-sound-of-music.html" target="_blank">The Sound of Music</a>.<br />
<br />
I don't understand why this is, although I will hazard a guess later on in this post.<br />
<br />
For sure, it's a <em>great</em> film, and I think there are lots of lovely lessons buried within it for both men and women.<br />
<br />
What's not to like?<br />
There is great scenery!<br />
There is the 'aw factor' in abundance (the king's children)!<br />
There is feminine allure (Anna and the royal wives)!<br />
There is eye candy and a testosterone factory all in one (Yul Brynner)!<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
Speaking of Yul Brynner, I never knew until today that he was actually a Swiss citizen (although born in Russia). I found a compatriot!<br />
<br />
The first comment to make about Yul Brynner is that he is the embodiment of why 'Game' works. He is the sort of man who I imagine would have been passed over by many women were it not for his arresting <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.com/2012/01/epitomy-of-game.html" target="_blank">sense of self</a> and the abundance of confidence which screams 'I am a man'.<br />
<br />
This sort of thing is sensed by women in a very visceral way. Add his masculine voice to the mix and to an auditory woman, you have a dangerous situation on your hands :-)<br />
<br />
The interaction between the king and Anna is one that is actually fairly unusual among Hollywood type films. It is clearly a dance between the masculine and the feminine, but there is a slight twist to <em>this</em> dance. I shall explain later.<br />
<br />
When British teacher Anna Leonowens is asked to come teach the children of the King of Siam english, she accepts, on condition that he keeps his promise to house her and her son Louie in a house of their own, as opposed to his palace, because she does not want to be part of his (already considerable!) harem.<br />
<br />
It takes her a long time to get the king to keep his promise. In fact, to get him to keep his promise, <em>she</em> has to keep a promise of her own.<br />
<br />
Anna is a tough, no-nonsense widow who is a little bit too 'hard to handle' for the king's liking. I suppose, compared to the docile and sweet wives he already has, Anna is a typical Western harridan of today (but with 19th. century standards, lol).<br />
<br />
She is hardly what you would call submissive, but she learns along the way how to be respectful to him. She is also a little too entitled, and goes so far as to demand an audience with the king when the prime minister warns her that the king is in 'bad spirit', i.e. not in a good mood.<br />
<br />
But despite Anna's obvious faults, the king likes her. I don't think it is in a conventional romantic way - Anna is far too 'independent' for his liking - but more, in admiration of her education, and perhaps for her 'lively spirit', to put it in the most polite way I can find. :-)<br />
<br />
Anna proves useful to the king in many ways other than to teach his children and wives.<br />
<br />
He uses her british connections to sweeten up the colonial masters who were getting ideas that he was a 'barbarian', by taking her up on her idea to host a lavish banquet for them.<br />
It was a resounding success, not withstanding a touch of jealousy displayed by the king when he suddenly realises he has competition for Anna's affections from her long-time friend, Edward.<br />
<br />
<br />
The king's catchphrase of 'et cetera, et cetera, et cetera' is a hilarious reminder of how a man, enamoured of a woman he finds curious will 'parrot' her in much the same way a child might. I think Anna recognised this when towards the end of the film she lets slip to Louie that she thought the king sometimes acted the same age as him! (She meant 'emotional age' in this sense, of course).<br />
<br />
The king was supremely masculine, in an almost 'caveman' sense (and yet he was also bizarrely very refined, and certainly hyper-advanced in his thinking: he was a self-taught scholar, a monk no less, despite having many wives and children - and having your wives and children educated to the level he was demanding of Anna was certainly not a common thing in Siam in his époque)...<br />
<br />
<br />
The king makes some notable quotes in this film. Some of them are hilarious, others are simply eternal truths.<br />
Like this one:<br />
<br />
<em>"A woman was made to please man. </em><br />
<em>A woman is blossom. </em><br />
<em>A man is like the honey bee, to fly from blossom to blossom. </em><br />
<em>A honey bee must be free, but blossom must not ever fly from bee, to bee, to bee."</em> <br />
<br />
<br />
When Anna insists that Western men are monogamous, the king dismisses this concept as 'not normal'.<br />
<br />
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Is the King of Siam a Red Pill King???<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Nothing says 'alpha' like him in this scene where he is introducing his children to Anna. Note how his 'mini-me' the crown prince has assimilated his way of walking. The apple did not fall far from the tree in this case, did it? :-)<br />
And how sweet that his daughter presents Anna with a flower...<br />
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<br />
In fact, this whole scene reminds me of another alpha male presenting his many children to an unattached female, with the same panache and poise of the proud father who is master over his children...<br />
Remember <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.com/2012/09/film-review-sound-of-music.html" target="_blank">Captain Von Trapp and Maria</a>? The same 'military' operation to get the children presented, the pomp and circumstance, the showmanship...<br />
These two guys could be brothers. In fact, the two women could be sisters too, both being 'hard work' for the men when they first encounter them.<br />
:-)<br />
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I really like these scenes with the children, by the way. I think in a home where the children are taught how to show reverence to the father in this way, there is order and harmony. And actually, love too. This is fatherly love at its best, I think!<br />
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<br />
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Believe it or not, this started out as a geography lesson :-)<br />
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<br />
Despite my going on and on about Anna, I actually do not find her the absolute 'star of the show'.<br />
<br />
No.<br />
<br />
I think <em>that</em> honour goes to the king's chief wife, Lady Thiang.<br />
<br />
I think she represents the absolute peak of ladylike dignity and poise. This woman <em>should</em> have been threatened by Anna's presence. But she wasn't. <br />
She simply wasn't.<br />
<br />
The king was at liberty to take on more wives. Which he did on a regular basis, I am sure :-)<br />
In fact, he had just acquired a 'gift' in the form of a young girl (who was miserable in the harem because she had her heart on someone else...). <br />
But had the king fancied Anna in the romantic sense, Lady Thiang's position as 'chief wife' could well have been in danger, purely because of Anna's position and status. So Lady Thiang had plenty to fear. But this classy lady had no fear. She just had warmth and plenty of grace.<br />
<br />
She slowly taught Anna how to be the ultimate wife without Anna herself realising this.<br />
<br />
Lady Thiang knew she could not influence her husband the way Anna could. So she used Anna to do her dirty work for her, with the aim of helping her husband.<br />
<br />
But she taught Anna how to do this dirty work in the most gracious way possible, having had years of experience of how her husband ticks.<br />
<br />
'Don't give him advice', she warned. 'Just give him suggestions'.<br />
<br />
Anna does this, to great success. The scene where she achieves her goal of steering him to do what he needs to do but without making it look like she is advising him is a classic. Funny but delightfully touching. Helen Andelin would have been proud :-)<br />
In the interim, Anna also learns to acquiesce to his demands to never have her head above his - difficult ask, as he usually insisted on sitting or lying down most of the time when he was in her company.<br />
When she submits to him in this way, he gives her what she wants, her own house.<br />
<br />
Is there a lesson in there somewhere?<br />
<br />
Anna must have found him difficult.<br />
He certainly did her! <br />
His 'you are a very difficult woman!' rebuke at her made me laugh out loud, especially the way he said it with his index finger pointing exasperatedly at her.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.com/2011/12/film-review-empire-of-sun.html" target="_blank">Reminds me of another Westerner</a> being rebuked in a similar manner by an Oriental character:<br />
Sgt. Nagata (points to Jim): Boy, <em>difficult</em> boy!<br />
:-)<br />
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<br />
Anna and the king have a certain <em>je ne sais quoi</em> thing going on, but we never get to witness it in its fullness. So this film is strictly speaking not a 'romantic' film as such. The closest we get to romance is <em>this</em> scene.<br />
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<br />
It is more of a face-off between a man and a woman in a way that is a struggle for respect from both sides, rather than a quest for romantic love.<br />
My theory is that <em>this</em> is what prevented me from warming to this film when I was younger.<br />
My younger female self rejected this film because 'where is the romance!' lol.<br />
<br />
But now I see the value of a film like this. Full of lessons, teachings about life, and not to talk of a-laugh-a-minute. <br />
I wouldn't hesitate to nominate the film as one of the best...ever made.<br />
<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-66375754184003003992014-04-21T07:01:00.000-07:002014-04-24T04:26:50.612-07:00All about GeorgeErm, would it be controversial if I said the following...<br />
<br />
I LOVE Prince George!<br />
<br />
There, said it :-)<br />
<br />
Well, he is not the only one, but that's another story.<br />
<br />
I think it is fair to say that I adore little boys. They are a special group that I find fascinating. Perhaps it has come across in numerous posts I have written.<br />
I also like little girls, of course, but I feel I <em>know</em> little girls more, having been one myself.<br />
<br />
My utter fascination with little boys continues unabated.<br />
I deny having Daddy or Mummy issues, but I may have 'little boy issues' :-)<br />
Hm, is this some sort of reverse 'Oedipus complex' thing going on here?<br />
Any psychiatrists out there? Your professional help is urgently needed over at The Sanctuary :-)<br />
<br />
If I should go on to self-diagnose, or at least self-analyse, I would say that one of the traits of little boys that never fail to mesmerise me, is their amusing display of burgeoning masculinity that they either get amazingly right, or appallingly wrong, both scenarios being highly amusing in a sweet sort of way :-)<br />
Equally amusing to watch a little girl twist Daddy round her little finger while you realise that 'this one's a pro'.<br />
<br />
Utterly riveting to watch these little ones so frankly play out Nature's little games, and watch them become the adults they will one day be, right before our very eyes.<br />
Stupefying...<br />
<br />
My history with this phenomenon goes way back.<br />
<br />
From the toddler son of a friend who would stand (hands in pocket) looking up at the crucifix after Mass, surrounded by people begging God for favours, crawling about on their knees asking forgiveness, flagellating themselves in repentance (OK, OK, I exaggerate here!) this kid would give God 'the nod', you know, Joey style (as in 'Friends'): <br />
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So, Jesus, how are <em>you</em> doing today?<br />
<br />
Priceless :-)<br />
<br />
To this same kid when I used to babysit him telling <em>me</em> how we were going to spend our time together. (No, Auntie Spacetraveller, we are not sitting at home watching TV, we are going to the park and I am going at the swings, and you ain't yet seen the mother of all tantrums that I can pull off if you don't capitulate...)<br />
<br />
Not so priceless ;-)<br />
<br />
To two little brothers (sons of friends) insisting on showing Auntie Spacetraveller their little 'friends' when she was invited to dinner at their home one evening.<br />
Yes, Auntie Spacetraveller <em>has</em> seen it all. And she wants her innocence back :-)<br />
<br />
There is a spectrum of course. It's not all hilarious masculinity with little boys. There is also a vulnerability which is so touching, and which immediately detonates the 'aw' factor.<br />
Who could resist Mark Lester's almost feminine baby face in 'Oliver', particularly this scene where he is singing 'Where is love' and you <em>know</em> he is torn between two impossibly unsavoury worlds - the Workhouse or the world of pickpockets, both of which would sooner chew him up and spit him out than show him love?<br />
A veritable tear-jerker...<br />
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<br />
Back to Prince George ... being the introvert I am, I do not normally extol the virtues of extroverts. Um, except... free pass if you are a bonny little chappie, a prince to boot :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
This kid can certainly pull off funny faces - I see a future in stand-up comedy as an aside to kinghood.<br />
Now, quite unfairly, the British press already had a nickname for Bonny Prince George <em>three weeks</em> into his life.<br />
A harsh one at that :-(<br />
<br />
They called him 'HRH Grumpy' :-(<br />
Apparently because he doesn't smile too much.<br />
Not fair.<br />
<br />
So he has an expressive face. Don't we want our future king to have an expressive face? Must we all be smiley all the time? Is that the new order of the day?<br />
<br />
What's so grumpy about <em>this</em> face anyway? Why is it not <em>pensive</em>?<br />
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<em>I mean, who put this ageing Spanish chick in charge of me? Whose idea was this? When I become king the first thing I will do is go to war with her country. Where are the hot Swedish au pairs? Why do kids of lesser status than My Royal Highness get better nannies than me? What's with that? Don't even get me started on the au pair thing. I ain't got none of that to even look at! And at my age, that 'pair' is actually vital to my survival, so don't judge me.</em><br />
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<em>And they better not even be <strong>thinking</strong> about having me circumcised. Or I shall decree a circumcision of my own for whoever suggests it to my parents. It would be 'off with his head' quicker than you could say 'George Cambridge'</em>.<br />
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<em>Uncle Harry says 'aloof game' works every time. I think he's right. This New Zealand chick in front of me digs me. She might not be the only one. The one behind me has the hots for me too. Oooh I say, fetching headband, lady! Man, I own.</em><br />
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<em>Yeah, I know he's 6 ft 4, but I am sure I could 'ave him!</em><br />
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<em>That toy has my name written all over it. It's mine...it's mine...IT'S MINE! Get out the way, headband girl!</em><br />
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<br />
<em>Who you looking at?</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I think Prince George will be quite a character. His personality certainly seems to be a forceful one. Not a shy wallflower, this one :-)<br />
<br />
I also think this:<br />
<br />
The choice of nanny for him is a major turning point in British history. His nanny almost became a <em>Catholic nun</em>. <br />
Nannies have a powerful role in the lives of their charges.<br />
Prince George could become the first <em>Catholic</em> British King since Henry VIII's time.<br />
<br />
You heard it here first!<br />
<br />
And there could be all kinds of constitutional mayhem should he choose to become a Catholic <em>priest</em>.<br />
<br />
Oh dear, my imagination is certainly running away with this one.<br />
<br />
Time to stop :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What do you think of our future British king?<br />
And what tributes for his great grandma whose 88th birthday it is today?<br />
<br />
I'll start:<br />
<br />
<em>Happy Birthday Ma'am.</em><br />
<em>Thank you for your lifelong service to Britain and The Commonwealth and your dedication to both God, country and family.</em><br />
<em>Your long reign is already a record in our hearts and minds - to this end you don't really need to beat Queen Victoria's record of 63 years to be a winner for us.</em><br />
<em>You already are.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>That your commitment to serving your country, devotion to your husband and steadfast faith in hard times and good will serve as a reminder to us all that there are goals to achieve - much bigger than our puny selves.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Happy birthday!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Um, if you are dishing out any extra honours on your Birthday Honours List, I just thought 'Lady Spacetraveller' might have a nice ring to it.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Just a thought :-)</em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Addendum 23/4/2014:<br />
<br />
On this day, the feast day of St. George, patron saint of England, we toast all of you with the name George, Georgina, Georgia, Georg, Jorge, Giorgio and Giorgos :-)<br />
<br />
Happy feast day!<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-83829790290325368892014-04-17T15:30:00.000-07:002014-04-19T05:02:30.730-07:00He went his own wayI promised John Lord B3 a post...<br />
<br />
And I realise now that it coincides beautifully with another thought that has been on my mind a lot recently.<br />
Amen.<br />
<br />
True confession: this Lent has been a poor one for me. I just couldn't 'settle' into the spirit of Lent as I usually do.<br />
But it seems I peaked sharply in the last week or so.<br />
<br />
Better late than never :-)<br />
<br />
Tonight, the 'night of impending death' as I like to call it, otherwise known as 'Maundy' or 'Holy' Thursday, my thoughts turn to ... death.<br />
<br />
Many years ago, on this night, Our Lord was pacing up and down the Garden of Olives, otherwise known as the Garden of Gethsemane, thinking about his impending death. He had just had a meal, washed the feet of a few of his closest friends...knowing one of them was going to condemn him to death, death by a kiss, the kiss of betrayal. He was imploring his friends to stay with him, watch with him, pray with him.<br />
They were falling asleep, human as they were :-)<br />
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Death.<br />
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Some of my most introspective moments came at moments where I witnessed impending death. I have witnessed a few.<br />
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A number of them stick in my mind like a sore thumb.<br />
<br />
It strikes me that the reason I have such vivid memories of these impending death situations is that they are moments of great <em>honesty</em>. <br />
It all hangs out. <br />
No holding back. <br />
<br />
It is both beautiful and ugly. <br />
It is both fascinating and frightening. <br />
It is both strong and vulnerable.<br />
<br />
A few months ago, I was chatting to an 89 year old man. I won't go into details, but he was near death. He knew it. I knew it.<br />
With this particular man, the hilarious thing about his feelings about his illness/impending death was that it would interfere with his <em>routine</em>. It bothered him that the set-up he had carefully laid out all his life was about to be disrupted - not so much death itself but the bothersome illness and the 'caring' that would be foisted upon him against his will. It is not an exaggeration to state that he was more than a little peeved by it all. His attitude was only hilarious because it <em>appeared</em> that others cared more for his life than <em>he</em> did.<br />
<br />
<br />
But I know different. At least <em>now</em> I do.<br />
Thanks to my understanding of the MGTOW movement and its nuances, I am more open-minded than ever on the variations of life.<br />
<br />
<br />
This man was a never-married man. He had a few siblings but his favourite of all was his 85 year old little sister who had several children and grandchildren. One of these grandchildren was a young man in his 20s with whom he was particularly close. This young man was<em> his</em>. He was <em>his</em> lad. <br />
Of <em>all</em> his relatives, this was the one he felt the closest to. As he told me about this young guy, his eyes lit up and he was as animated as you could ever see an 89 year old be.<br />
<br />
I remember distinctly the moment he told me he was a single man. He expected me to somehow show surprise that he had never married. I know this because he told me so.<br />
It seems he had had a certain response (especially from women) all his life. He was used to it. He expected it so much that when I didn't react in this way, he felt the need to tell me.<br />
<br />
He, of course was not to know that I had, um, had a 'special' education in this subject over the last few years, by way of strangers on the internet, lol.<br />
<br />
He almost became apologetic. "I love my own company too much", he said to me by way of explanation. An explanation I really didn't need, but he wasn't to know this.<br />
"I never felt close to any woman throughout my life. I was happy without one all these years. I had my garden, I like to read, potter about, you know..."<br />
I knew.<br />
<br />
"But there was always this pressure to find a wife and settle down."<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
"I was happy on my own, this is what no-one understands. I could have made some woman miserable."<br />
Um, well, who knows...<br />
<br />
"I have never felt lonely. I have loved my life. Now I am ill, they will force someone on me to 'care' for me. That is my worst nightmare."<br />
<br />
I <em>really</em> understand this sentiment. This really<em> is</em> the introvert's worst nightmare.<br />
<br />
<br />
"I have my lad. He comes round to see me. He is like a son to me. He is enough".<br />
<br />
Good lad.<br />
<br />
It is inexplicably important to me that I did not 'judge' this man in his last days...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, John Lord B3, whilst I would not choose this man's lifetime solitude, I get why he chose his. And I bet he loved every minute of it.<br />
<br />
There are people who do not choose a life of solitude - it is foisted upon them against their will, but they adapt to it.<br />
Others have their own reasons for choosing what they choose.<br />
<br />
I have thought and thought about the MGTOW movement since the moment I first heard of it. It has fascinated me and I have indulged my unquenchable curiosity <em>ad nauseum</em>.<br />
<br />
But it takes someone's moment of impending death for me to see the humanity involved. So when you ask if I have a personal view of MGTOW, this is it.<br />
A dying man's honest description of how he lived it.<br />
<br />
I am not sure it can get any personal than that.<br />
<br />
I have similar stories of two women who also lived the GTOW life until death. The nuances of their stories differ slightly, but there we are.<br />
<br />
In the end, life will be lived. With or without our consent the moment we are born kicking and screaming into an unforgiving world.<br />
<br />
The details of said life?<br />
The devil is in the detail, as they say.<br />
<br />
And with that, I bid everyone the holiest and happiest Easter ever.<br />
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The ultimate MGHOW?<br />
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Addendum 19/04/2014:<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-84875813129633960502014-04-05T08:28:00.003-07:002014-04-05T08:28:54.231-07:00Spacetraveller's lawAherm!<br />
<br />
The above is by no means akin to Newton's laws of motion or anything :-)<br />
<br />
Just an observation that I have never seen broken, yet, although I expect there are exceptions that prove the rule...<br />
<br />
About rules/laws/mandates, I find I quite like them. They are general 'guidelines' by which, when lived out, simplify life, rather than complicate it, which is what we do best as human beings. But I accept that there are limitations beyond which even the most useful rule does not help. Such is life.<br />
<br />
I go off at a tangent again, but I think it is a good time to remind myself that sometimes, what we don't know, we mustn't fret about... because <em>God </em>knows. And somehow, He imparts the necessary detail to us should he choose to, and at the right time when we are most likely to be receptive to it.<br />
<br />
This is my 'lesson of the day', LOL.<br />
<br />
I just got back home from a walk. I came across a park which is also a cemetery for lost soldiers from the Second World War.<br />
<br />
All the soldiers buried here are 'unknown'. <br />
But what a great way this is expressed:<br />
<br />
'Known to God'.<br />
<br />
I was blown over by that description. On every single gravestone, there is a distinct absence of a name, rank, birthdate and deathdate. But all of these men (I presume they were men but of course it is just possible a few may have been women?) are 'known to God'.<br />
<br />
'Unknown' to us, 'known to God'.<br />
How lovely...<br />
<br />
I somehow got the message that although it would have been lovely for us (and especially their grieving families and friends) to know who exactly these men were, somehow it is not <em>crucial</em> anymore - <em>God</em> knows their identities. That's enough. Case closed.<br />
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I have been back and forth to the UK in the last few months. I did promise John Lord B3 a post about a personal encounter regarding MGTOW, but as usual, my thoughts were derailed by something else I would like to share, and possibly discuss <em>ad nauseum</em> :-)<br />
<br />
A new dating show in the UK, by the title 'Take me out' has been a source of great insights into todays' SMP for me. In many ways, it directly replicates a longstanding older one known as 'Blind date' presented by a lovely elderly lady known as Cilla Black.<br />
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I think the spirit of 'Take me out' is very different from 'Blind date' however, just by removing the element of 'parental presence' in the form of a woman who could jolly well be your<em> mother </em>:-). The presenter of 'Take me out' is a young man. Different and interesting vibe, but interesting all the same.<br />
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Yesterday, the 'old school' were temporarily back in town. A young Scottish man came on 'Take me out' not just with his Mum, but his ex-<em>nursery school teacher (Mrs. H)</em>! Why, you may ask...<br />
<br />
His Mum thought his ex-nursery school teacher had the wisest opinion on girls, so each time it was time to 'vet' a girlfriend, he not only brought her to his Mum, he also took her to meet Mrs. H.<br />
<br />
Hahahahahaha! <br />
<em>I </em>think it's sweet, but I get why some may be annoyed that not just one woman but <em>two</em> women are meddling in this young man's business.<br />
It should be mentioned that this man was complicit in Mum and Mrs. H's meddling though, just so you are aware :-).<br />
<br />
Early on in the show, Mrs. H was asked which of the 30 girls she thought would be good for the young man. She picked a girl. <em>He</em> ended up picking that girl. And <em>she</em> made herself available to be picked by him.<br />
<br />
I immediately got why Mrs. H picked the girl. She is the kind of girl that is perfect. Beautiful, little make-up (not 'glaring' like some of the other girls), nicely dressed, and very nice in personality. She was very likeable, and I hope she and the guy hit it off.<br />
<br />
The whole episode reminded me of a saying I have mentioned here before.<br />
Mrs. H may or may not be right about this girl. I really hope she is right, of course. <br />
<br />
But choosing a wife is very much a man's <em>business</em>. And usually requires a male opinion, preferably an older male's, but also a contemporary, or even a younger man's would do. But of course, I now know that many men do not seek advice from anyone at all in matters that are private. I get that. I think women are much more 'help-seeking' than men in this regard. Fair enough - we are different creatures afterall...<br />
<br />
But...if an opinion is welcome from a woman...<br />
I have seen how a woman that the man trusts and respects can help <em>a lot</em> in this process. A mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, even a female friend.<br />
<br />
This is what I am about to hijack as 'Spacetraveller's law': (um, excuse my delusions of grandeur...what I meant to write was 'an observation ST seems to make over and over again :-)<br />
<br />
Where a trusted female who has a man's best interest at heart repeatedly declares that a woman he is romantically interested in is <em>bad</em> for him, she is almost always right.'<br />
<br />
The collorary is, that where she says a woman is <em>good</em> for him, there is a 50/50 chance of her being right.<br />
<br />
The importance of my observation is where she says she is <em>bad </em>for him.<br />
<br />
Women seem to be really good at smelling out <em>bad</em> women where their sons/brothers/friends are concerned.<br />
But perhaps not as accurate when deciding about a good woman.<br />
<br />
In statistical terms, I think this is best expressed as 'negative predictive value'.<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
Has anyone come across instances where a mother says to her son: this woman is bad for you, son!' and she turns out to be the opposite?<br />
<br />
(Note: I am not talking about a nasty mother - I mean a mother who really does love her son and wants the best for him - of which there are many more than not...).<br />
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As an aside, here is a little gem from a film: I am keeping up with a previous assignment of watching as many of the old films as I can get my hands on, and I enjoyed this one very much:<br />
<br />
Here is an MGTOW from 1951's thoughts on marriage:<br />
<br />
<em>Marriage is slavery for the woman and prison for the man.</em><br />
<br />
Hahahahahahahaha!<br />
<br />
Where have I heard this before, especially the second part?<br />
;-P<br />
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Interestingly, in this film, it was the father of the girl deciding that the <em>man</em> she was interested in was bad for her. <br />
Girls should of course always listen to Daddy...<br />
He is always right - about everything! That's ST's second law...<br />
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Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-43358113273800967452014-02-14T19:40:00.001-08:002014-02-14T19:41:57.441-08:00PatienceIt being Valentine's Day and all (relax, fellas, I know you<em> hate</em> this day!!!) I looked into a popular Biblical verse associated with one San Valentino :-):<br />
<br />
1 Corinthians 13:4-8<br />
<br />
<em><span class="text 1Cor-13-4" id="en-NIV-28670"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>Love is patient,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28670A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28670B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup></span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-5" id="en-NIV-28671"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28671C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup> it is not easily angered,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28671D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup> it keeps no record of wrongs.<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28671E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></sup></span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-6" id="en-NIV-28672"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup>Love does not delight in evil<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28672F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)"></sup> but rejoices with the truth.<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28672G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></sup></span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-7" id="en-NIV-28673"><sup class="versenum">7 </sup>It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28673H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></sup></span></em><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8" id="en-NIV-28674"><em><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28674I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)"></sup> they will cease; where there are tongues,<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-28674J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)"></sup> they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.</em></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">No, I haven't gone all 'bible basher' on you - I just wanted to explore the word 'love' from another angle (other than the noblest form of 'love' - caritas) in the context of Valentine's Day.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">A funny thing happened, by the way - I suddenly realised that one cannot say 'I love you' to another unless one was prepared to say, in full, <em>all</em> of the following:</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">"I shall be patient with you, I shall be kind to you, I shall not envy you, I shall not boast, except<em> of</em> you, I shall not be prideful, except <em>of</em> you, I shall not dishonour you, I shall not be self-seeking over and above you, I shall try very hard not to anger you or be angered by you, I shall not keep score of your wrong-doings, I shall not delight in your failures, but celebrate with you in your success. I shall always protect your self-interest, I shall always trust you, I shall always have hope in you, and all of this will be longstanding."</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Hahahahahaha!</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Erm, all of a sudden, those three little words just became harder to say!</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">:-)</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Anyway, I digress...</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Interesting that the first of the 'love adjectives' is...<em>patience</em>.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Confession time: patience is the hardest virtue for me, personally.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">In my nerdy days, I suddenly woke up one morning and decided I was not patient enough. Honestly, it was the weirdest (and to date, most honest) self-analysis I ever mustered.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Being a total nerd, I went to my mother and told her my diagnosis.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">She said she already knew this about me.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">:-)</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">I asked her how I could fix the problem.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">She recommended <em>embroidery. </em></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"><em></em></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">A friend of mine was a very good embroider at the time. But she was too busy to teach me. She asked me to wait a week. I couldn't wait. I bought a book and learned to embroider from the book.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">:-)</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">To date, embroidery remains one of my best leisure activities. I now know why it cultivates patience. It takes me about 4 months to finish a piece. I really have to <em>wait</em> to see the finished product. No other way round it.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">It is also a very feminine thing to do. I feel at my most feminine when I am embroidering something.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">I don't get the same effect with sewing, household chores, even cooking.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">All these are instant gratifiers - embroidery literally makes you wait.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">I was thinking about patience when it comes to the SMP lately.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">I wondered - in this world of 'instant gratification', whether fractious relationships are simply due to the parties involved just being too <em>impatient</em>?</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Egged on by the morals of a 'throw away' society, no-one wants to wait for anything.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Is this the real problem underlying the high divorce rate? Because no-one wants to take time to cool down a bit?</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Which of the sexes is more patient?</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">I see patience as being a 'feminine' virtue. But am I wrong about this? Do we women (I certainly had to be!) have to be <em>taught </em>to be patient? Or are we <em>naturally</em> patient?</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">And if we are <em>naturally</em> patient, are we being deprogrammed by modern life?</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Modern life?</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">In this much publicised play/ballet, who was more impatient - the man or the woman? Whose impatience led to both their deaths?</span><br />
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Is this all that is required sometimes - just a little <em>patience</em>?</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-13-8">Surely that alone would solve a lot of SMP problems, no?</span><br />
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-8"></span><br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-72337150767545569222014-01-26T09:51:00.001-08:002014-01-26T09:51:12.582-08:00Woman logicThe gentlemen who visit this blog have often declared that we women are not logical.<br />
I happen to agree :-)<br />
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But I often find logic in funny places. Even (gasp) in women!<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
I know - my <em>hamster</em> thought it was 'logic'.<br />
But at best, it was <em>woman</em> logic, which is not really logic as we know it...but some other beast dressed up as logic if you only saw it with the eye of faith.<br />
Yes, I know.<br />
<br />
Speaking of hamsters, <br />
I<em> was in the store the other day, trying to buy Deti's hamsterlator gadget. Delighted to spot that it contained the word 'Space', I thought I was entitled to some sort of discount...but the retailers would not hear of it. In response to my protestations, I was thrown out of the store by the burly security guards. Bruised and brazed, I tried to appeal to the store manager...</em><br />
<em></em><br />
My imagination is getting as bad as LFOD's in the last post...<br />
But not in the same way, thankfully...<br />
<br />
Dirty boys aside, I would like to examine 'woman logic'.<br />
<br />
I have <em>this</em> disease, and I would like treatment, if not a cure :-)<br />
<br />
It's time to poke fun at myself and my sisters.<br />
We are big girls, we can take it.<br />
<br />
If you gentlemen can find examples of how illogical women are to you, in your daily encounters with them, please log them here. I would be delighted to hear them. Indeed, I would be pleased if you can find examples of 'woman logic' on this very blog!<br />
Honest, I would be happy to laugh at my 'woman logic' provided you yourself are more logical than me :-)<br />
<br />
And, it would give us ladies a chance to see where we are going 'wrong'.<br />
<br />
I get teased almost daily for my lack of logic in real life. Always by the same people :-) Sometimes, it is well deserved. But there are times when I am genuinely surprised that I am deemed illogical.<br />
<br />
But perhaps, it is a question of ignorance? Perhaps the examples you men provide will help me to see the light a little better?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I am going to take a slight detour...<br />
<br />
I saw (for the first time ever!) the film <a href="http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/nunsstory" target="_blank">'The Nun's story'</a> starring Audrey Hepburn.<br />
I was awed by this film. Has anyone seen it?<br />
<br />
The funniest part to me was this conversation between Sister Luke (Gabrielle van der Mal) and a native man in the Belgian Congo when she arrives as a young nun and nurse in the Belgian Congo in 1930 with a group of older nuns.<br />
<br />
Man: So where are your husbands, you White Women?<br />
Sr. Luke: What do you mean?<br />
Man: You must have husbands, don't you?<br />
Sr. Luke: Did you ask (Mother Superior) this question?<br />
Man: Yes.<br />
Sr. Luke: And what did she say?<br />
Man: She said you are all married to the same man. But I don't believe her. It is wrong for a man to have many wives. You White people keep telling us that. I can understand the others not having a husband, but you, you are young and beautiful. You <em>must</em> have a husband!<br />
Sr. Luke (smiling): Actually, I do have a husband. But he is in heaven.<br />
Man: Oh, I am so sorry, Sister Luke. I am so sorry for your loss.<br />
<br />
Hahahahahahahaha!<br />
<br />
That alpha dude, Jesus. He has a lot to answer for :-)<br />
<br />
The native man was being perfectly logical, no?<br />
But Christianity is not particularly a logical religion in the cold light of day...<br />
<br />
But still, we love it, don't we...<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
The nun's story is a very sad film. When in the very last scene, she is disrobing, taking off her 'wedding' ring, getting back into her old clothes, it must have felt like a <em>divorce</em>.<br />
A catholic woman (a nun, no less! a bride of Christ!) divorcing that alpha dude, Jesus!<br />
No cure for hypergamy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The particular woman logic I want to examine briefly is <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2537566/Woman-sues-solicitors-did-not-explain-finalising-divorce-terminate-marriage.html" target="_blank">this woman's</a> logic.<br />
<br />
On the surface of it, she is seriously dumb.<br />
<br />
But I beg to differ.<br />
<br />
This kind of 'brake' on someone's actions is exactly what we need in our modern world. Especially for women.<br />
If we stop to think, just for one minute, that certain actions are <em>permanent</em>, much like death, we would be better off.<br />
<br />
Too many of us do things because they feel good at the time. We don't stop to think about the long-term consequences. It doesn't matter how far in the process we have gone. <em>Something</em>, must be in place to take us back.<br />
<br />
That something could be shame.<br />
It could be fear of getting caught.<br />
It could be our own innate self-discipline.<br />
It could be the effort it takes to go through with it.<br />
It could be the financial cost it takes to go through with it.<br />
It could be 'fear of the unknown'.<br />
<br />
Too many modern women are egged on with bravado to go through with something that could be disastrous. Like divorce. Like taking a man away from his children.<br />
<br />
This woman used her 'woman logic', dumb as it may seem to many of us, to say to herself: <em>Oh my God, this is forever. I must stop. And who are these people who encouraged me to go through with this when they knew it would kill my marriage forever? They must be stopped...</em><br />
<br />
I accused 'Anonymous' in the last post of being rather rigid, when it comes to women and hugs.<br />
Perhaps I (kettle) am guilty of calling pot black.<br />
<br />
I am either deeply respectful of great women (Augustina who inspired the caritas post), or I am deeply turned off by others (JLB3's example in the same post).<br />
No neutral for me :-)<br />
<br />
This woman ticks the 'respect to you' box. Despite seeming incredibly stupid. I'll take stupid if she keeps her vows.<br />
<br />
Deti's hamsterlator would find a different interpretation for this woman's thought processes. But I shall stick to <em>my</em> version for now. Unless someone <em>logically</em> knocks me off my high horse.<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
Basically, what I am saying is, not all 'woman's logic' is like that :-)<br />
Anyone even <em>hesitantly</em> agree?<br />
<br />
Or is my own 'woman logic' getting in the way?<br />
<br />
Let's pick at 'women's logic' and see where it takes us.<br />
Perhaps a lot of you men have a problem with how women think. Perhaps we women don't 'get' you, which is why we seem to do strange and illogical stuff.<br />
Here's a chance to clear the air...<br />
<br />
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Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-82466741188985643942014-01-15T13:38:00.002-08:002014-01-15T13:40:42.265-08:00Yo Bro!<br />
<br />
You gentlemen are strange creatures.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hahahahahahaha, in the nicest possible sense, of course.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today, I have a pink hat firmly on. No man-goggles. No seeing it from your point of view. I am all-woman, oestrogen, warts and all :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
I was at a gym yesterday. No, not a New Year's resolution as such, just normal routine :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
I was highly amused by a sighting of two men greeting each other.<br />
<br />
<br />
They were two muscular guys (I think the term is 'beefcakes'?)<br />
And no, I most definitely wasn't ogling.<br />
<br />
<br />
I wasn't!<br />
<br />
<br />
They were in my field of vision, OK?<br />
<br />
<br />
The only reason I spotted the rippling pecs and bulging biceps is that they had somehow crossed over into my direct field of vision. I had been looking straight ahead, minding my own business, in a 'tunnel' of my own making and all...<br />
<br />
<br />
Honest!<br />
<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyhow, despite being of different races, they greeted each other with 'Yo bro'.<br />
I didn't think they were genetic brothers, no :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
Then they did this inverted handshake thing, and then whilst maintaining this handshake, they 'bumped' right shoulder to right shoulder. I could hear this bump, frankly it seemed painful, but these guys didn't seem to feel any pain. Manwhile I was wincing.<br />
<br />
<br />
And they did all this in like, 3 seconds, all without eye contact.<br />
<br />
<br />
They then parted company as each went in search of some weights to pump.<br />
<br />
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This is not the first time I have seen men greet each other in a way that makes me want to laugh out loud. It is so cute to watch (at least by a woman).<br />
<br />
<br />
Are you men amused at the way women greet each other?<br />
<br />
<br />
Come on, fess up! We won't be offended :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps a description of how I greet my own best friend may help.<br />
<br />
<br />
I hadn't seen her for about two months.<br />
<br />
<br />
I met up with her recently. As I spotted her among a crowd as she made her way towards me at our appointed venue, I immediately noticed she was wearing new boots.<br />
<br />
<br />
Maintaining eye contact as she approached me, we hugged so tightly I couldn't be sure how legal it was :-) We maintained this hug for well over a minute.<br />
<br />
<br />
Then I stepped away to admire her new boots for the best part of two minutes, then she looked me over and complimented me on some random feature of my physical being (I forget what). Then we hugged again, and stroked each other's shoulders/arms/backs in light touches whilst taking past each other at the rate of a thousand words a minute...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hahahahahahahahaha!<br />
<br />
<br />
If anyone thinks I am exaggerating....<br />
<br />
<br />
I am not.<br />
<br />
<br />
I describe it <em>exactly</em> as I recall it.<br />
<br />
<br />
But it <em>does</em> sound like a caricature of women's greeting, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The thing is, it feels so good.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Do you guys get this sense of 'it feels good' when you do your 'fist bumps' and 'chest bumps' (like the basketball players do) and your inverted handshake greetings?<br />
<br />
<br />
To you, is it necessary for it to 'feel good'?<br />
I can tell you that from this side of the fence, we definitely do it for the 'feel good factor'!<br />
<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I love forms of greetings. They are my guilty pleasure.<br />
<br />
<br />
In some parts of the world, a simple 'hi' just won't do. People spend a good ten minutes just saying 'hi'. I kid you not.<br />
<br />
<br />
I once watched a documentary where two women were timed just exchanging simple pleasantries. It took just over eight minutes. <em>Eight</em> minutes!<br />
<br />
<br />
It went something like this:<br />
<br />
<br />
How are you?<br />
<br />
<br />
Good, how are you?<br />
<br />
<br />
Great. How are the kids?<br />
<br />
<br />
They are fine. How is your husband?<br />
<br />
<br />
He is well, how is your Mum? Has she recovered from her operation yet?<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh yes, she is walking again now. And the party? How's that coming on?<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh, yes, she is looking forward to it. We haven't got the cake yet. She says she's too grown up now to have a cake with thirteen candles on it...<br />
<br />
<br />
And so on.<br />
<br />
<br />
After everyone had been accounted for in the greeting, <em>then</em> they started talking about what they had actually met up for.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hahahahahaha, so amusing...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
I understand the need to keep your distance even when you are greeting your nearest and dearest, gentlemen. It is something I admire, because I cannot do it myself.<br />
<br />
<br />
But do you feel the need to be like this in all your close encounters with your fellow fellas? Is this some code of manhood or something?<br />
<br />
<br />
My friend and I regularly invade each other's privacy. We have no real boundaries.<br />
<br />
<br />
I 'get' that a lot of men would recoil in horror at that. I understand.<br />
<br />
<br />
What happens when a rather tactile woman hugs you like she would a fellow female?<br />
Would you tolerate it ('well, she's just a female, she's not dangerous afterall, besides it's rather nice' :-)<br />
Or do you hate it when this happens ('get off me, woman!')<br />
<br />
<br />
Please do share!<br />
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<br />
<span id="goog_184905262"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_157631941"></span><span id="goog_157631942"><br /></span><br />
<span id="goog_184905263">What do you think of the Obamas' 'fistbump'?</span><br />
Is this a normal 'form of greeting' between a couple?<br />
Or is it a case of 'whatever floats their boat'?<br />
<br />
<br />
Why do basketball players jump up and bump chests?<br />
Is this a 'beating my chest, but even better if my buddy does it for me' thing?<br />
We women could never do this. It would be a physically painful experience :-)<br />
Even for the less endowed among us :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
But we sometimes do the 'bump hips' thing.<br />
I have <em>never</em> seen men bump hips - why is this?<br />
Could a man explain this to me?<br />
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Anyone use the 'rub noses' form of greeting?<br />
Is it cute or infection-prone? :-)<br />
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What about the kiss on the mouth between parents and children?<br />
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Why is a 'firm handshake' a good thing?<br />
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<br />
Tell all about your preferred (or not!) forms of greeting!<br />
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Not sure why this interests me, but it does :-)<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-42701713266972614772014-01-05T13:17:00.003-08:002014-01-05T13:29:26.852-08:00This Caritas business, what it mean?Happy New Year, everyone!<br />
<br />
At Mass today, I was reminded that today is the feast of the Epiphany.<br />
The priest said 'epiphany' means a 'reveal' or a 'disclosure' and then launched into a long-winded explanation as to the relevance of this to the time around Jesus' birth when he was visited by the Three Wise men.<br />
<br />
He lost me shortly after the gold, frankincense and myrrh bit...<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I realise that I got me Three Wise men from the East on this very blog!<br />
<br />
Yes I do!<br />
<br />
Let's see...<br />
I got me John Lord B3 from the East (of the world).<br />
I got me Metak from the East (of Europe).<br />
<br />
Um...who else?<br />
<br />
If you are a man, and you live in the east of the world, or the east of your continent, or the east of your city, or the east of your street, or your bedroom in your house faces east, let me know and you will get the third 'Wise man' slot - no questions asked.<br />
<br />
Hahahahahha!<br />
<br />
One of our resident magi sent me this in the last post: This is an excerpt from <em>another</em> wise man commenting on a wise woman's actions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>"..So much in Augustina’s moving post.<br /><br />Not many people can see the distinction between the types different types of love; conflating, love, lust and affection, yet the problem of love is at the core of our modern malaise.<br /><br />Clearly, Augustina’s husband did not give her the “tingles” and yet she’s stuck with him through thick and thin, and despite his obvious faults. Indeed, his lack of alpha qualities put a strain on their marriage. Rollo? It wasn’t self interest there, it was concern for her husband.<br /><br />A point of theological reflection. Does a husband’s failure to cultivate alpha qualities (executive function) put the marriage in danger of divorce? For a different post perhaps?<br /><br />Secondly, the type of love that Augustina expressed for her husband is not the stuff that you can get from Game. That love, which goes by the theological name of Caritas, is something a person gives, independently of the quality of the other. It’s a supernatural gift from God. In looking for a wife, I’d advise my boys to look for a girl who posses this quality pretty much above all else. Sluts, hot sex and “wuv” come and go, but Caritas stays. Caritas loves you when you are unlovable and gameless.<br /><br />Rollo Says that a woman can never love a man like he would want her to, but Augustina’s example(and lots of other women I know) proves him wrong. The love/caritas of a good woman is one of God’s gits to man. My wife does not give me everything I want, but it’s not because she doesn’t want to, it’s because she knows that its the wrong thing for me. It’s taken me many years to realise this and that’s why she’s a keeper. She’s looking after me.<br /><br />That’s the paradox of a happy Christian marriage. The Christian wife, in order to be happy, has to know that her husband has real options but won’t exercise that ability because because her loves her. On the other hand, a good Christian wife can be miserable in a marriage yet still stick to her husband because she possesses Caritas.<br /><br />God’s peace, Augustina.."</em><br />
<br />
Further down that thread, someone else did what I love to do, which is to do a little philological research on the word 'Caritas'. This definitely brought out my geeky side :-)<br />
<br />
I tried this in previous threads when I dissected the roots of the words 'mercy' and 'pity', and 'privacy' and 'intimacy'.<br />
Bellita once alerted me to the relationship between 'curriculum' and the italian verb 'correre' (to run), as in 'curriculum vitae' being a 'run-through' of one's life.<br />
<br />
My nerdy side is preparing to go to town on <em>this</em> one :-)<br />
<br />
As the commenter downthread explained, 'Caritas' is etymologically related to the word 'charity', and also to the word 'care'.<br />
<br />
But what does 'Caritas' mean in English, as related to the SMP?<br />
<br />
True love?<br />
Tough love?<br />
Tingles?<br />
Titillation?<br />
<br />
Dunno.<br />
<br />
There is a word I am familiar with, in another language, which I suspect means something very similar to 'Caritas'. As far as I can tell, it encompasses compassion, affection, tenderness, empathy and love.<br />
<br />
From a purely religious viewpoint, the Catholic one to be precise, 'where there is Caritas (i.e. charity) and love, there is God' as the Taizé hymn goes:<br />
<br />
<em>Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est:</em><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
The commenter was talking specifically about the kind of 'Caritas' that a woman can give to her husband, or that a woman can give to a man who is 'unlovable and gameless'.<br />
Men too can be 'Caritas' givers, of course.<br />
<br />
Or is male love a different thing from 'Caritas'?<br />
Why do I get this sneaky feeling that 'Caritas' is more a <em>feminine</em> type of love?<br />
Is there a good basis for this 'feeling' of mine?<br />
<br />
What does this Caritas look like?<br />
<br />
Is this 'self-giving', even 'selfless' love? As opposed to 'selfish' love?<br />
Can it even be described as 'love'?<br />
<br />
Can it be induced by Game? Or is it completely independent of both Boy Game and Girl Game?<br />
If you are a man, and there was a choice between a woman being attracted to you, would you rather that, than her giving you 'Caritas' as 'Augustina's love for her husband seems to be?<br />
<br />
<br />
What does 'Caritas' really mean?<br />
<br />
Other than the examples given above in 'Wise man's' comment, could anyone give me good descriptions of 'Caritas'?<br />
<br />
The more practical, the better! The more anecdotal, the better!<br />
<br />
Grazie!<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-43543593863355364492013-12-27T17:52:00.000-08:002013-12-27T18:10:15.691-08:00Sons of Mary<br />
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.<br />
<br />
Wherever you were, whomever you were with, whatever you were doing, hope it was fun, fulfilling, fantastic and full of Christmas cheer!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Quite by accident, I think I may have just experienced one of my most meaningful Christmases ever.<br />
Unconventioanl as it was, I think I may have peaked as far as Christmases go :-)<br />
<br />
It was always going to be a poignant Christmas this year. Quite possibly, my last in a certain city. Quite the accident that I was in this city at all at this time of <em>this</em> year, but so it happened.<br />
<br />
Usually, my preferred way of celebrating Christmas is the midnight Mass. Always has been. Family tradition.<br />
<br />
Not this time. Events conspired against me and I found myself battling to make it on time...and failing miserably.<br />
<br />
Enter Plan B:<br />
Morning mass at a distant but favoured church. For sentimental reasons, I HAD to go to Christmas Mass at <em>this</em> particular church.<br />
<br />
But how to get there?<br />
20 km away.<br />
No public transport.<br />
Didn't feel like driving.<br />
<br />
Enter crazy idea No 2.<br />
<br />
Run.<br />
Run 20km to favoured church, attend Mass, run back home in time for Christmas dinner.<br />
Negotiate hard with other female members of the household to be let off cooking duty :-)<br />
<br />
And now I am firmly on the rota to prepare our first meal of 2014 :-)<br />
<br />
It was worth it.<br />
<br />
The solitude (an introverted nerd's paradise!).<br />
The quiet.<br />
The beauty of winter stillness.<br />
<br />
This is the ONLY Christmas carol that even begins to describe this mood:<br />
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The highlight of this little descent into insanity (as some of my nearest and dearest call my foray into Christmas madness) was just when I began to 'hit the wall'. Um, I don't mean I suddenly aged during my run :-) I am using 'runner speak' here, as opposed to Manosphere terminology :-)<br />
<br />
A group of cyclists passed me. I think I had passed them earlier on in my run as they whizzed past me on the opposite side of the deserted streets. But it was only when I got to the centre of this great city and in need of a serious distraction to take my mind of a niggling right knee injury that I spotted them again and this time, I took notice of them.<br />
<br />
They must have numbered about twenty. They were all men. They looked young but I cannot be sure of their ages. Dressed in funny Father Christmas hats. Made me laugh, despite my right knee agony.<br />
<br />
The leader of this group had a ghetto blaster attached to his handlebars. This was what was playing (but in base rather than soprano, in a Taizé-like fashion):<br />
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<br />
I hadn't heard this ancient hymn in ages, so it immediately grabbed my attention. I guess that was the point. Confused tourists finding out too late that nothing was open in this city on Christmas Day stopped to gawk at this little party of strange cyclists, no doubt thinking as I was, 'what the...'<br />
<br />
I stopped to listen to them and watch them as they cycled past me. Then I realised something else. <em>They were saying the rosary.</em><br />
I wonder if they were priests or seminarians?<br />
<br />
I will never know.<br />
<br />
But I do know <em>one</em> thing:<br />
<br />
I had just seen <em>Sons of Mary</em> cycle past me on Christmas Day 2013. That was the most precious Christmas gift I could have received!<br />
<br />
Perhaps I have alludded to this before - forgive me if I have.<br />
But I cannot help myself.<br />
<br />
I <em>adore</em> Sons of Mary. For me, the ultimate 'Catholic Game' would be if a man whipped out his 'Miraculous Medal' or 'scapula' during a romantic date...<br />
<br />
OK, enough of Catholic Girl weirdness :-)<br />
<br />
Any man who professes to love Our Lady is a friend of mine. Indeed he is my <em>brother</em>.<br />
<br />
These <a href="http://m.christianpost.com/news/shocking-video-exposes-feminist-abortion-group-sexually-molesting-spitting-on-catholic-church-members-110586/" target="_blank">South American Sons of Mary</a> are family...<br />
They are worthy of respect.<br />
<br />
Everyone loved Pope John Paul II for his extrovert personality. For one member of my family, however, the only reason she adored him was that he was known to be a Marianphile.<br />
It must be genetic or something...<br />
I seem to have the same affinity for 'Sons of Mary'.<br />
<br />
My old school was a convent school with the name of one of the titles of Mary. The nuns there made sure we understood that we were to be <em>daughters of Mary</em>. Throughout our lives. <br />
Sure, we have all failed on various levels. Afterall, none of us will ever be perfect. But I hope we at least get full marks for trying :-)<br />
<br />
So I guess it makes sense that I have this strong sense of kinship with men who have a genuine love for Our Lady. This love cannot be faked. It is a beautiful thing when witnessed.<br />
For example, on Christmas morning by a group of cyclists with funny hats on.<br />
<br />
<br />
In other news, I thought I knew <em>all</em> the titles of Our Lady.<br />
Queen of Peace.<br />
Our Lady of Victories.<br />
Our Lady of Sorrow.<br />
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.<br />
Queen of Angels...<br />
And so on.<br />
<br />
<em>This</em> Christmastide, I have come across a new one. I had <em>never</em> heard this one before!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.maryundoerofknots.com/history.htm" target="_blank">Mary Undoer of Knots.</a><br />
<br />
Has anyone of you heard this one before? To my eternal shame, I hadn't even heard of St. Irenaeus...<br />
<br />
But I am so pleased to be acquainted with<em> this</em> Our Lady. I like the idea that she can undo knots, for some odd reason...<br />
<br />
<br />
Finally, I leave you with a poem.<br />
Sent to me by none other than a very kind 'Son of Mary'.<br />
<br />
I am not a natural poet. But even <em>I </em>have more reverence for poetry than the mother in this film :<br />
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<strong>Mother</strong>: My boys don't go to your school no more, and that's gonna be it.</div>
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<strong>Teacher</strong>: You took 'em out of school? </div>
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<strong>Mother</strong>: You're damn right I did. I saw what they were bringing home... poetry and sh*t.</div>
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Hahahahahahaha!</div>
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That scene continues to amuse me to this day...</div>
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(Do excuse the utter irreverence, I beseech thee).</div>
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Here is the poem: </div>
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I Can Do Anything Better Than You</div>
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“A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” </div>
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I can do anything better than you.</div>
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Anything you can do, I can do better.</div>
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Why can’t I get you to say that I Do?</div>
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Women like me sail as one of the crew.</div>
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Fish don’t need bicycles; fish need it wetter.</div>
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I can do anything better than you.</div>
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Adam, you slept late; to Hong Kong I flew.</div>
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I’m a dealmaker, self-starter, go-getter:</div>
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Why can’t I get you to say that I Do?</div>
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Whispering underlings call me a shrew.</div>
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I build my business; my man is a debtor.</div>
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I can do anything better than you.</div>
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Eggs I have frozen for motherhood too.</div>
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Marriage should fit like your favorite sweater.</div>
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Why can’t I get you to say that I Do?</div>
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Just when we women were getting our due!</div>
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Dizzy with freedom from breaking each fetter.</div>
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I can do anything better than you.</div>
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Why can’t I get you to say that I Do? </div>
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This is <em>not</em> how daughters of Our Lady think.</div>
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This is <em>not</em> what daughters of Our Lady do.</div>
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This is <em>not</em> what Sons of Our Lady deserve.</div>
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That it is so in many households is a travesty.</div>
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Food for thought... </div>
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May you all experience a happy and holy start to 2014.</div>
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And to the Sons of Our Lady, may the ultimate feminine woman wrap you in her warm arms and keep you snug in her motherly embrace. </div>
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312159882790612546.post-68493665466033839992013-12-06T15:35:00.000-08:002013-12-06T15:50:18.750-08:00The case against 'Go get a surrogate!'This post is a knee-jerk reaction to a horrible image that popped into my head a few days ago.<br />
You can blame PVW for this one.<br />
(LOL, it is always someone else's fault, don'tcha know!).<br />
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<br />
PVW sent me this <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/talk-of-the-day/are-father-daughter-dances-discriminatory/article_e523a82e-0320-11e2-9127-0019bb30f31a.html" target="_blank">link</a>:<br />
<br />
I became fixated on one idea, and now I really cannot get it out of my mind.<br />
<br />
Here is the source of my latest problem:<br />
<br />
<br />
In that article the case of the fatherless daughter is put before us. And how unfair it is that she is barred from a father-daughter dance. Fair enough. It is not the daughter's fault for not having a father. Perhaps Mum kicked him out. Perhaps Father was a dead-beat who walked. Perhaps he died tragically. But make no mistake - she will pay for this lack in her life. More on her later.<br />
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In that same article, the concept of mother-son events are also mentioned. But what of the boy with no mother? He would undoubtedly be barred from such events too! Again, not his fault he has no mother. He too will surely pay.<br />
<br />
And in my overactive imagination I got to thinking...what happens when we have a world consisting <em>solely</em> of children missing one parent? What would it look like?<br />
<br />
We already have plentiful fatherless children. No problem there...we could throw a lot overboard and we wouldn't miss them.<br />
<br />
Don't understand that reference? It comes from a joke an Indian friend of mine made. Only an Indian could have made this joke, by the way. Anyone else would be 'racist', of course:<br />
<br />
A British man, a Norwegian, a Swiss man and an American were on a boat with cargo representing their respective countries on board. Soon the boat started to capsize.<br />
In an attempt to solve this problem, the men decided to offload the boat, starting wih the merchandise that was most common in each of their countries.<br />
<br />
The British guy stepped up and said: 'Well, in my country, we have loads of tea, so let's throw all the tea on board out into the sea'. So they did. Things got a bit better, but they were still in trouble.<br />
<br />
Then the Norwegian said, 'OK, in my country we have a lot of snow, so let's throw the snow overboard'. So they did, and thngs improved, but not by much.<br />
<br />
Then the Swiss guy got up and said, 'we have lots of expensive watches, so we can afford to throw all the watches overboard'. So they did. Again an improvement, but something else had to go.<br />
<br />
Then the American stood up and said, 'in the States, we have Indian computer engineers coming out of our ears, we can sure lose a few, no sweat'. So they threw into the sea the computer engineers.<br />
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Terrible joke, I know...but you get the picture...<br />
<br />
<br />
And now, with all the negative consequences of feminism rapidly coming to light, men are responding quite logically with their own solutions...in an attempt not just to 'hurt' or punish women, but in some instances to nullify them. Indeed<em> annihilate</em> them.<br />
<br />
I won't rehash John Galt's words here. A few posts back, I recounted my reaction to them. Chilling and disturbing.<br />
<br />
The reason I found his words disturbing is not so much that I want to see women destroy society with no consequences. Being a woman myself, I <em>do</em> love other women, (because I love myself). But alas, not <em>that</em> much.<br />
<br />
It's not all about us women. I hope that much is clear.<br />
<br />
I do firmly believe that some women are just not suited to marriage, because they really are incapable of giving a man what he wants and needs. Such women should not be given the time of day by men. I fully believe that. The same goes for men who really are not cut out for relationships of any sort with women.<br />
<br />
But the (right) solution to feminism and 'choice motherhood' is not surrogate mothers for single fathers, or worse, artificial wombs and the like.<br />
Two wrongs definitely don't make a right.<br />
<br />
In much the same manner as I felt strongly against the mother in <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/03/single-mum-by-choice.html" target="_blank">this</a> post, I think Cristiano Ronaldo's dodgy parenthood is also questionable...<br />
<br />
<br />
We all accept that where one parent is missing, the child suffers in some way, even if there is a 'substitute' parent. Where is that substitute at 3am? The substitute is never as good as the original, as we all know. So why do we pacify ourselves with poor alternatives? (Rhetorical question).<br />
<br />
We can spot the child of a singe mother (at least the worst kind) by now. Here comes the generalisation: usually narcissistic, they lack the drive that fathered children have. The women are poor examples of femininity and the men are overly supplicative, something which hurts their chances of success with women. These people are sorted as far as social skills go though, in the sense that they are usually extrovert. They identify strongly with the feminine, which explains why perhaps some of the men turn out to be 'manginas'.<br />
<br />
But what about motherless children? This sample population is small, granted. But I think there are accurate characerisations of them in some films. Take <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2012/05/film-review-firelight.html" target="_blank">'Firelight'</a> for example. <em>Both</em> Eliazbeth Laurier and Louise Godwin are motherless children, the former more than the latter, who gets a break when her mother shows up. <br />
The kid in <a href="http://thesanctuary-spacetraveller.blogspot.ch/2013/01/are-introverts-born-or-created.html" target="_blank">this movie</a> is also a classic example. <br />
Introverted, insular, generally highly principled, very disciplined, but alas, they have deep emotional issues. <br />
These people identify strongly with the masculine: in Elizabeth's case, she very nobly decided to pay off her father's debts. In her era, the only option available to her was the 'surrogate mother' route. Have a baby for a strange man and give up said baby? No problem. <br />
<em>Ms. Laurier was thinking like a man</em>. Nature taught her a feminine lesson she would never forget. She spends the next seven years searching for Charles Godwin and Louisa...<br />
I daresay, a woman with a mother in her life from a young age would <em>never</em> do what she did.<br />
<br />
In both cases of an absent parent, there is an imbalance in the child. Emotionally, psychologically, financially, whatever.<br />
<br />
Life is sometimes unfair to some of us: sometimes a parent dies when a child is very young. Sometimes there are very serious reasons where a parent must be removed from a child's life. Barring these legitimate cases...<br />
<br />
So, 'Children of women', meet 'Children of men'.<br />
<br />
Trainwreck...<br />
<br />
Do we really want this future? Aren't things already bad enough for us yet in the SMP? Do we really want to reduce parenthood into yet another 'his and hers' war?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The use of the phrase 'Children of men' was no accident on my part. The film with the same name is a truly chilling experience. Do we really want to go there?<br />
(Rhetorical question).<br />
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So the feminists banished men from the home front and now there are long queues at the sperm bank.<br />
And the response from men?<br />
Get a surrogate!<br />
Get an artificial womb!<br />
<br />
Do you really mean this? Have you thought this through, all the way to the ugly and bitter conclusion?<br />
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Is <em>anyone</em> thinking about the children?<br />
(<em>Not</em> a rhetorical question).<br />
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<br />Spacetravellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02202131232540121117noreply@blogger.com28