I got the idea for this topic from reading a FB friend's status. Men have their definition of what a woman is just like women have their definition of what a real man supposedly is. From a woman's standpoint, a real man is respectful, ambitious & God-fearing and from a man's viewpoint, a woman is loving, respectful & meek. Who is qualified to assess manhood/womanhood? Men have a better understanding of manhood based on gender alone. Men are able to accurately depict how men think, feel, their overall mindset. Women understand women better because after all, THEY'RE WOMEN. Granted, both sides are accurate in their assessment of the opposite gender but it goes much deeper than assessment. Let's take apologizing for example. "Real Men Apologize When They've Wronged Someone". If a man doesn't apologize, is he not a real man? According to another person, he would be less of a man because he didn't apologize for wronging someone. I believe that real people (men & women alike) apologize for wronging someone; that's a basic trait of humility. Men are men & women are women, regardless of whether they apologize or not. While I have my theory on what a woman is, I'm not qualified to assess a woman like my mother, aunt or other female loved ones in my family, or even women in general. It's true that men & women are accurate in some descriptions of the male & female gender, both fail to realize that each gender is complex. A woman can learn about men through her father and brother(s), I'll give her that. Unless they have schooled her in great depth about the male psyche, she will never understand men in their entirety. The same can be said about women; a man learns about women through his mother, sister(s) & other female relatives in his life. If a man does wrong and not meet the standards of another man, let alone the standards of the creator, Is he less than a man?Worldly men act different from a Godly man, just as a healthy man makes different choices than a unhealthy man but all are still men. I believe one issue men have with women defining manhood is how a woman can define manhood when she's not a man (I'll flip it for the women in a little bit). Women have in their minds what they feel a real man is, does, or should do. She may be accurate in some ways but off base in others. You have a man who knows the ins & outs of manhood because he is one. A woman's perception/perspective about a man will never trump or outrank a man's perspective/perception about a man. A man's views on manhood will always trump how a woman views manhood. Women can say the same for men, that they aren't qualified to speak on womanhood in which they would be right as well. When a man or woman imparts wisdom about their gender, it would behoove that man or woman to listen. After all, what better way to learn about men & women than from a respective man or woman?
