Conditioning by personal choice To the selfish all are selfish.— Aesop These are all unpleasant situations which I suspect many people have had to deal with at one point or another. Faced with potential scenarios like those mentioned above, I’m not surprised many women use the “dreaded phrase” frequently. What I consider a shame is…
So why does this matter? A friend noted I sounded a bit annoyed here. I am. I don’t know why, but for some reason our culture teaches men to assume women are always seductively inclined towards them — often long before the woman is more than just marginally friendly. Quite frankly, it’s bloody annoying. Lest…
Some anthropological context You’re dangerous, ’cause you’re honest…you tell me things I know you’re not supposed to…Well, you lied to me ’cause I asked you to;Baby, can we still be friends….— U2, Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses Interestingly, I read an anthropological study many years after these incidents (I’ll have to try to re-locate…
What’s gone before If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we would all be millionaires. — Abigail Van Buren Interestingly, the guy I was talking to then bitterly asked why the women weren’t more honest with the men, as well as with themselves. Now that one I could answer for him,…
So what does it really mean when someone says, “let’s just be friends”? I can’t speak for all women, but I can speculate based on discussions I’ve had, and on my thoughts in similar situations: To politely create or keep distance To defuse situations where the person feels pressured or scared Because that’s what they’ve…
Originally posted June 2004 Credits: For all those who’ve been part of my emotional relationships. If you helped, thank you for your encouragement, patience, and kindness — you know who you are. And if you were part of the problem, it would be inappropriate to name names. ;-) I’ve been teasingly told my previous Firestarter…
4. Marriage should be just for child-rearing My first thought at assertions like this is: “Why?” Kids don’t care if there’s a piece of paper holding their family together — and that piece of paper has proven notoriously incapable of doing so anyway. However, let’s work through this theory rationally. If marriage is just for…
Originally posted May 2004 Credits: Thanks to Bob, clear-sighted as always, as well as to George for kindness, and Ian for perspective. Also, if this subject interests you, I recommend my “Firestarter” titled Tolerance FAQ, take II. I’ve been watching the joy and euphoria spreading through San Francisco and parts of the Bay Area as…
Truth is a slippery concept. The only thing slipperier I can think of, at this exceedingly late hour, is contested memory fought over to define truth. It’s funny the things that stick in your mind. Think of something incredibly meaningful to you as a small child, then ask a parent about it. Odds are they…
Enter Shiloh Sophia McCloud into the search box to see all the available books written by the instructor of this class. Amazon.com Widgets One of my classes in the Women’s Spirituality Master’s Program that I’m taking is called “Art as Sacred Practice.” It’s a curious oddity of most Western religious traditions that the creation of…