Men unveiled

Photograph by José Serrano

A feminist joke says that God first made the draft (men) and then the final copy (women). Another one says that a man has to sit with his legs spread to avoid crushing his own brain. Women, you often wonder why we men make so big a deal with the idea of wanting to dominate the world if in the end women are going to dominate us. Even doctors have said that men are biologically less evolved than women, so maybe that's why we behave as big kids... Do you want to understand men? OK, but get ready to learn something 'cause a man's life is quite more complicated than just wanting to have sex with you.

Simple yet quite meaningful truths about men

Men are simpler than women. Yes, girls, we don't have a period nor hormonal see-saws every month. Our "little friend" lets us think only in things which are away from us, opposed to you, who always seem to have an inwards>outwards viewpoint of things. Is this an advantage for us? mm... Maybe yes, maybe no... I guess that is on the eye of the beholder. Anyway, I think the important point is how this affects the way in which we see the world.

Men are biologically, traditionally and potentially stronger than women (I say this in strict physical terms). Therefore, since the beginning of times men have been responsible for protecting their families and themselves, and to provide what they may need. We were the ones who had to go out to hunt, fish, gather fruits and look for a safe place to sleep before going to rest in those times. We both know that, though times have changed much, being like that is still part of our social role and cultural heritage. We are not only affected by this ancient thing, but you are still somewhat used to follow this ancient role-playing game, too. We need to ensure ourselves that we can rest in a safe place and it is something you count on, too.

And being so, there are some rules men have to follow (and to break) in our male version of the game of life. Here the most important ones and how they affect our relationships with you.

Weakness summons fear... This is the first and most important rule in a man's world. Weakness, meekness, hesitancy, or any other similar attitude will turn on a red flag on the other men, awakening a chain of thoughts similar to this: Hey, look, that man is afraid. > Why is this man afraid? > What is he hiding, huh? > Maybe we wants to do something against us and he is afraid of being discovered beforehand. > Let's go find out. > But, if he attacks? > We won't let him attack. If he does, we are going to attack him first. > So we must be ready to attack him first... Yes > Hey, you! What are you doing here?

...And fear summons aggressiveness. This is the other side of the same coin to understanding men. A man must show himself manly (including burping, farting, drinking as much as the other one, speaking loudly, or talking about women as if they were whores before other guys, just to mention some examples) to show the others he is as ready for anything as they are... as strong as the strongest, as brave as the bravest. Even when he's afraid, the man must appear untouchable...

...Without breaking the balance. A man has to show himself manly before others and able to defend his position, body, family or whatever without making the rest of the men feel they are weaker than him. What can happen if a man shows himself more powerful than the rest? He will either be respected as the leader of the group or treated as a potential aggressor. Believe it or not, this has many times been the difference between a healthy life and ending up in a morgue and since the beginning of times.

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