Dear Sara, Thank you for yet another enticing article.
I sometimes feel that if Eve hadn’t been around, paradise would be a big hockey rink or football field surrounded by beer cans and disgruntled guys scratching their…ears and spitting nonsense among other things. Somehow, men may feel they have been saved by woman from this wretched fate, because woman impelled us to become courteous (l’amour courtois) and pushed away our uglier side. Hence, it is a fear of falling from grace once again when women exhibit this internal chaos that stirs many of us. This is not helped at all by the very strong « Madonna » nature of Catholic countries, where the « holy » mother is omnipresent and her image increases the divide between the hope of perfection and the reality of earthly souls. Coming from a protestant influenced country, we plainly see the difference in treatment. Think of Friday night London.
There is a distinctive relief, a tranquility that falls upon men who accept and suddenly recognise the imperfect nature of woman: men suddenly feel less lonely and understand they can share a certain existential angst. The curse is broken, we can learn to live together not in Paradise, but together in that great and challenging imperfection.
This is a very poignant reflection Philippe. There is a feeling of obscenity, in seeing a woman get imbibed, that is just not there when a guy does. I struggle to understand why it is the case at this time and age - we are in a future of supposed equality now. The interesting thing, is that in Gen Z, imbibing is equally frowned upon.
BTW, I forgot to mention, there are two elefhphunts!
I may or may not having been sipping on wine while writing and I am the worst editor I’ve ever met.
Dear Sara, Thank you for yet another enticing article.
I sometimes feel that if Eve hadn’t been around, paradise would be a big hockey rink or football field surrounded by beer cans and disgruntled guys scratching their…ears and spitting nonsense among other things. Somehow, men may feel they have been saved by woman from this wretched fate, because woman impelled us to become courteous (l’amour courtois) and pushed away our uglier side. Hence, it is a fear of falling from grace once again when women exhibit this internal chaos that stirs many of us. This is not helped at all by the very strong « Madonna » nature of Catholic countries, where the « holy » mother is omnipresent and her image increases the divide between the hope of perfection and the reality of earthly souls. Coming from a protestant influenced country, we plainly see the difference in treatment. Think of Friday night London.
There is a distinctive relief, a tranquility that falls upon men who accept and suddenly recognise the imperfect nature of woman: men suddenly feel less lonely and understand they can share a certain existential angst. The curse is broken, we can learn to live together not in Paradise, but together in that great and challenging imperfection.
This is a very poignant reflection Philippe. There is a feeling of obscenity, in seeing a woman get imbibed, that is just not there when a guy does. I struggle to understand why it is the case at this time and age - we are in a future of supposed equality now. The interesting thing, is that in Gen Z, imbibing is equally frowned upon.