Recently, a coworker of mine asked me a question that I really wasn't sure how to answer. To be honest, I wasn't sure I wanted to answer it anyway. It was a pretty loaded question, even though I was aware of the context.
"Why are guys always jerks?" (Not that exact noun, but good enough for this purpose.)
I really wasn't sure what to say. I basically mumbled some non-answer to the rhetorical question and we left it at that. But as is the case with many things, it didn't get left like that in my mind. I've been thinking about it ever since, and I've come up with at least something of an answer.
Guys are naturally jerks(being humans and all :P ), and nowadays most don't grow out of it. Nobody's teaching them how to be gentlemen. Which of course made me think about what defines a gentlemen from a jerk. Because let's be honest, I can open every door every time for every girl and still be a jerk. But what I've concluded sets apart the gentlemen from the jerks is respect.
A true gentlemen will be respectful not just to "their" girl, but to all women. Which is a lot higher of a standard than holding doors and getting coats, and rightly so. To achieve their potential, we need to be held to high standards. And being respectful is crucial part of those standards. Think of the way that women are objectified by our culture. Showing even minimal respect will be a real difference from the majority. And not just as gentlemen, but also as Christians, we should be looking to stand in character and virtue above the general population.
And in the area of relationships, it's also pretty important. This quote pretty much sums it up.
“This generation has lost the true meaning of romance. There are so many
songs that disrespect women. You can’t treat the woman you love as a
piece of meat. You should treat your love like a princess. Give her love
songs, something with real meaning. Maybe I’m old fashioned but to
respect the woman you love should be a priority.”
~
Tom Hiddleston
