Superheroes and Leading Ladies

I had the privilege of attending a lecture given by Beverly Campbell on 19 September 2010. (She is the author of Eve and the Choice Made in Eden, Eve and the Mortal Journey, and You Don't Need to Slay My Dragons, Just Take Out the Trash.) In the last portion of her talk, she mentioned that there are 3 things men wish women knew and 3 things that women wish men understood.

I thought that was an interesting distinction in word choice to illustrate the different ways men and women think. "Knew" means to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information. By contrast, "Understood" means to perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or speaker); perceive the significance, explanation, or cause of (something).

There is a difference between being aware of something and perceiving something, but not really. To perceive something is 'to become aware of something' and being aware is 'having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.' In essence, men and women can think the same way but the way they process and collate information to arrive at the same conclusion is different.

I find this interesting in the context of the 3 things that men and women, in general, wish the other gender was aware of.

What Men Wish Women Knew

1. Men see themselves as heroes, righteous warriors, and bold adventurers but specifically want to be the hero for one woman. With her, he wants to create children and worlds.

2. Men often see their worth in the way they perform.

3. Facts generally trump feelings.


What Women Wish Men Understood

1. Women have an inherent sense of their majesty, strength, and equality.

2. Women have a unique understanding of the importance of relationships.

3. Women have a deep knowledge of their spirituality and an extraordinary sense of loyalty.


As I was sitting in this lecture, taking notes, laughing, I had a slightly unpleasant (read: freaked out scary) realization:

It feels good when someone treats you like they want to be your Superman. And it might not be such an awful thing to let them be your hero. But only if it were a specific someone. I have zero clue how to let someone be my Superman!


Due to the changing perception of who women are told they ought to be--thanks to the Feminist movement--women have a difficult time allowing men to be men. Consequently, men don't seem to know how to be men and have lost their own sense of who they are. We see this phenomena in the increasing average age of men getting married. There are several other factors involved in this, of course, but could one of the main reasons be that women are told that they should do it all themselves?

Granted, women who are single HAVE to do it all themselves. But, I feel like we get into a routine and forget that we could have the option of NOT doing everything ourselves. I, for one, am starting to recognize that it just might be more fun to have someone help me do it all. After all, if a man agreed to cook me breakfast, took out the trash, smiled because he was happy to see me and couldn't wait to talk to me everyday, I would willingly be his Lois Lane because those actions would make him Superman to me.