A frustrated friend of mine, Diallo, recently made the argument that nice guys finish last. To get back in the race for relationship success (finish line at the altar), he says, we men need the steroid of machismo (or is it the machismo of steroids?). Before I state my own take on this issue, let me stretch the athletics analogy to its limit. You ever notice track & field officials and priests both wear black & white? Coincidence? I think not.
The path to tread, however, is not so black & white. Our popular entertainment offers simplified characters precisely because the reality is hopelessly complicated. We cannot select ingredients from the polar 'nice guy' and 'man's man' bags, ingest the blend and emerge perfect. Insofar as any of us can consistently adhere to guidelines as we wind our way, I would suggest the following:
Take pride in and strive to improve your appearance, dress to accentuate your strengths and downplay your weaknesses. Underneath this presentation, be yourself. Our influences are sufficiently different from each other that an unashamed expression of ourselves will yield deserving results. I have found this to be true. Weigh in with your own thoughts.
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gneiss gneiss n
a high-grade rock formed under high pressure made of light and dark constituents.
From Encarta® World English Dictionary
Monday, May 02, 2005
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1 comment:
Totally agree. But..what if you are not *trying* to be a "nice" guy? If you were brought up to be a gentleman etc etc etc, if that is the way you really are with no pretences, what then?
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