What Men Can Learn From Women

Some have claimed that equality is a myth. “Men and women can’t do everything the other can do, so they’re not equal,” they claim. The problem with this argument is its misuse of the word equality, which doesn’t just mean ‘the same attributes’ but ‘the same measure’.

Men can’t carry babies but they can make babies. Try doing one without the other and you’ll understand what is meant by ‘equality’. Everyone has something to teach everyone, if they’re willing to learn. Just as men have some things to teach women, so do women have a few things to teach men.

Take a Stand

In medieval England, the beautiful Lady Godiva took pity on the poor. She asked her husband to stop taxing his tenants.

He laughed and said, “Sure, I’ll stop taxing them: when you ride through the streets naked.”

Lady Godiva stripped, mounted a horse, and rode through the streets. The husband realized she meant what she said and lifted the oppressive taxes.

Life is richer and fuller when it has a cause. However, any cause is meaningless unless you’re willing to ride naked on a horse for it.

Listen to the Voices

Joan of Arc was a 16-year-old peasant girl. She was working in a field when she heard the voice of God tell her that she was the savior of France. She put down her hoe and went to see the King. She led the French Army to victory again and again, finally, she was captured by the English and burnt as a witch.

Today, Joan is the national heroine of France. Who cares if people thought she was crazy? She died for her country, listened to her heart, and gave her troops someone to look up to. Listen to the voice of reason in your head and don’t worry what others might think.

Rescue Somebody

Once, the abolitionist Harriet Tubman rescued a man named Charles Nalle from slavery. She literally wrenched him out of the arms of his master and delivered him to safety. Reading the story of Nalle’s rescue is like reading fiction- only it’s for real.

Tubman could have stopped when she crossed the line to freedom. She didn’t. At constant risk to her own life, Tubman saved 300 people from lifelong servitude.

The Knight in Shining Armor is not merely a myth that someone made up. It is an ideal every man can live up to.

Set a Precedent

There has never been an Oprah Winfrey until now. She is many firsts rolled into one. One day, she was watching her Grandmother wash rich white people’s clothes in a washtub. “Pay attention, Oprah Gail, you’ll have to do this someday,” her grandmother said. Little Oprah looked at her Grandmother and knew deep in her soul, that she would never be anybody’s washerwoman.

You don’t have to fulfill anybody’s prophecy. Be your own man.

Be Ladylike

Ladies always dress appropriate to the occasion. Ladies don’t yell or lose their cool. A lady always knows when to leave and doesn’t tell everyone who will listen about her problems. A lady knows when to speak and when to listen. Ladies don’t get drunk. Ladies have good posture and ladies engage in charitable activities. A lady knows how to make the people around her feel honored. Ladies are not petty or catty.

Gentlemen should be more ladylike.

Companion article: What Women Can Learn From Men