My Empathy for Men

I was recently Facebook friended by a young man from India. After doing my due diligence checks and wondering why on earth a 17 year old lad would be interested in friending a 50 something, I discovered he had a poetry blog and had found me in a mutual writing group. So I accepted his request.

He struck up a conversation and we chatted about writing and learning English and the subject of women came up (and no, not in a stalker sort of way!) He mentioned how so many young girls in India were obsessed with celebrities and didn’t appreciate what was right under their noses and this made it difficult to find a genuine one.

This struck a chord with me, as it is one of my bugbears with our present society. You don’t have to look far to find someone who is coping with adversity, cancer, loss, unemployment, depression – real life. Others are giving up their free time to support charities and help those less fortunate than themselves. Then you have the other group that seem to be obsessed with the celebrity lifestyle. Those who post images of their latest designer handbags or fashionable shoes or are going to University with no aspirations, other than a degree being another accessory to have.

Up to a point, we’ve all been there, it’s part of growing up – aspiring to things and later learning what really matters – but thanks to the TV and the media, we are harvesting a shallow and selfish society that’s going beyond young people, where everyone expects much more and has fewer manners.

I sympathise with this young man, trying to find a girl to share his dreams. I’ve often thought how hard it must be for young men to find a sincere girl, these days. One who’s not just after him for his flash car or his money or who puts him under pressure for the big house and fancy holidays. I’m not slating all women here and I’m sure it works both ways, but even in my own generation, I know many couples where the man is stifled by his wife and her demands (that’s a subject for another post perhaps). The point is, there’s more to life and if these people could just take the time to find it, and we could bring back family values, society would be in a much better place.

I recently came across this on my Facebook and it seems to sum up what I’m trying to say:

“When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want?
Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame?
Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car?
Will you find comfort in re-reading your financial statement?
Of course not. What will matter then, will be people.
If relationships will matter most then, shouldn’t they matter most, now?”
Max Lucado

And to those young girls out there I ask you one question:  Does aspiring to a celebrity lifestyle really give you happiness or just disappointment?

Loving and being loved is the real secret to happiness.

Image courtesy of Stil333/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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