Of course God’s creatures are awesome. Aren’t we all God’s creatures? But if you are an atheist or agnostic then you wouldn’t refer to God’s creatures but to creatures of the earth. No matter what you call it, creation wasn’t perfect. Who would create humans whose frontal lobe doesn’t fully develop until the early twenties but who have sexual urges much earlier? And why has society allowed the extended family to split up with older members often isolated from younger members of their family in urban settings?
No, humans don’t always live the perfect life but at least we have evolved over time and are not always as primitive as the so-called lower animals. Did you watch that program on Channel 9 about the humpback whales? What a lot of torture the males go through to get to have sex with a female. They fight for the right to mate and the one who comes up winner gets to have sex with all the females. Some male animals never get the chance to procreate and have to slink away and live a celibate life. At least a human female doesn't expect the males to practically kill each other to have the chance to court her. Things have hopefully improved for women since the days when they were considered chattel, the prettiest of them being selected as the sexual prize for the strongest male.
Many years ago, my older brother considered his date to be his alone. He once fought over his future wife at a school dance. If any other fellow tried to cut in he would invite that fellow to step outside the dance hall for an all out fist fight. Not unlike the humpback whales right? As if the woman belonged to the man and he owned her.
I didn't have to go through anything like that when I met my husband. I was hiding in a corner at the Trianon Ballroom after having danced with a fellow who reeked of alcohol and tobacco smoke which I can’t tolerate. My future husband walked toward me and looked into my eyes and the rest is history. Now fast forward to my becoming a widow and opening myself to dating and companionship again. As I joke on the comedy stage, “I am dating a fellow almost three years younger than I am. But don’t you ever call me a cougar.”
In my youth, a woman had to go through a lot to attract a man. In the dating game, men did more looking and women were supposed to do more listening. No matter how worthy a female was, if she couldn’t attract the attention of a mate, she was labeled an old maid. Even today many men still seem to prefer younger women while single older women, who greatly outnumber older men, often settle for being without a partner.
In my earlier dating years there was no internet so it was up to a woman to get out and about to get acquainted with a future husband. The dance hall and the church social were some of the meeting places. I remember the basket socials but I hated them. The woman brought a basket of food to share with the fellow who won the bid for her basket. It was like being on the auction block like an animal. A far cry from the informal social life of people today who mingle on Facebook or Match.com and the like. There is even a Christian dating site where you are told that God wants you to find a mate but you can’t leave it entirely up to God. That’s probably good advice for anyone who wants to take control of one’s own life. Opportunity is out there and it is up to each one of us to reach out for it. The risk is well worth it.
Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at 206-935-8663 or gnkunkel@comcast.net.
