Healthy and sensible advice and a productive discussion. As Tom says, we are enriched by the things we enjoy. Depriving ourselves of these activities--firing range, skating, boxing, whatever--is starving our own growth and sense of worth. These problems come up in same-sex relations as well, where sometimes it is difficult to have separate groups of friends because so many of them are also gay. The red pill / blue pill split is important there too. Your basic point applies: men have to grow, be real to themselves, do the things we love. Thanks for this!
There's a man I've known for about 25 years. He has a longterm partner and they co-habitate in a converted barn/former restaurant and hotel that I would estimate has 4,000 square feet of living space. Maybe more.
I was visiting him one day last year and I noticed that he gets a room for all of his stuff. By room, I mean about the size of a large walk-in closet. That's basically what it is.
Now, he's not a "stuff" guy. Most of what he owns are tools of his trade, which fit on his pickup truck bed. Basically, he owns his clothes, his chess sets and a lot of chess books. (I think he's an unrated grand master who can play two computers at once.) He has to stay confined to that one room. I know his partner well; she is OCD about this kind of thing.
Now, this couple has been under attack through phony litigation for about 30 years, brought by a land trust that has tried repeatedly to take their gorgeous property. He's done all the work to fight this; he's made all the money to pay for the litigation (no less than $500K); and he has worked night and day to save the homestead that he paid for and over which she presides as its reigning queen. (I'll leave out my personal stories, which are legion — I too worked hard for years, doing the journalism about their lawsuits.)
Healthy and sensible advice and a productive discussion. As Tom says, we are enriched by the things we enjoy. Depriving ourselves of these activities--firing range, skating, boxing, whatever--is starving our own growth and sense of worth. These problems come up in same-sex relations as well, where sometimes it is difficult to have separate groups of friends because so many of them are also gay. The red pill / blue pill split is important there too. Your basic point applies: men have to grow, be real to themselves, do the things we love. Thanks for this!
Thanks Allen. So true. It apples to all.
Excellent theme, gents.
There's a man I've known for about 25 years. He has a longterm partner and they co-habitate in a converted barn/former restaurant and hotel that I would estimate has 4,000 square feet of living space. Maybe more.
I was visiting him one day last year and I noticed that he gets a room for all of his stuff. By room, I mean about the size of a large walk-in closet. That's basically what it is.
Now, he's not a "stuff" guy. Most of what he owns are tools of his trade, which fit on his pickup truck bed. Basically, he owns his clothes, his chess sets and a lot of chess books. (I think he's an unrated grand master who can play two computers at once.) He has to stay confined to that one room. I know his partner well; she is OCD about this kind of thing.
Now, this couple has been under attack through phony litigation for about 30 years, brought by a land trust that has tried repeatedly to take their gorgeous property. He's done all the work to fight this; he's made all the money to pay for the litigation (no less than $500K); and he has worked night and day to save the homestead that he paid for and over which she presides as its reigning queen. (I'll leave out my personal stories, which are legion — I too worked hard for years, doing the journalism about their lawsuits.)
And he gets one little room.
Ouch. What a mess. God bless them both.