Hi all,
I like this kind of topic, Penni. Cool!
I think it was Albert Einstein who once said that science without religion is blind and religion without science is lame...
I believe a man is like science and a woman is like religion.
The Hindus have a concept whereby the "male principle" is the "motive" force in the world--the force that moves things in the world--and the "female principle" is the deep energy this (male) motive force requires in order to operate.
Men, however much they want to brag about all their wonderful achievements, are powerless without a strong connection to the women in their lives; without this connection, they spin about in the wind like a rusty weathervane in the shape of a cock (yes, pun intended). We aren't as "grounded" as women; hence our often blatant disregard for the integrity of our cradles (family, neighbourhood, community, environment, humanity itself). Women, on the other hand, have a bond, deep in their bones, deep in their wombs, with a more earthy, life-giving material realm that gives them a greater ability, I think, to keep the bigger picture in their sights.
These are all just generalities, of course. Individuals vary. Ultimately, once you abstract given sets of social conditions, I don't suppose that it feels all that different being a man than it does being a woman. We all experience joys and sorrows in pretty much the same way, I imagine.
The one difference I do believe is apparent, though, has to do with the handling of emotions (although even this may relate, to a large extent, to our cultural conditioning). Alice Cooper once sang that "Only Women Bleed." I disagree with that observation. Men bleed, too. However, it seems to me our bleeding happens on the inside... and the onus is, for whatever reason, on us to hide our pain. That, in itself, is painful, too. But it comes with being a man. At least, it certainly feels that way to me.
Great topic, Penni. Thanks.
Love,
CJ