One Step Up From Monkeys

So I have this play list that lasts exactly 30 minutes (for running purposes I made lists that last various lengths of time) anyway, I recently wronged someone I am very close to and it got me thinking about relationships. Somehow this play list fit exactly with the situation. Here’s how it felt to me.

“So why you gotta act like you know when you don’t know. Its ok if you don’t know everything.” - Ben Folds

This lyric should be heard by every man, boy, husband, and boyfriend in the world...or any celebrity who thinks they're the greatest thing to come down the road since the Model-T.

“Open your mouth just to talk me down. You’re sincere as any neon sign.” - AJ Roach

Why guys ever think they can talk their way out of anything is beyond me. It’s like we are 12 years-old permanently. Caught dead in the act like deer in headlights, we still try to play it off like we were giving CPR or a mammogram. “It wasn’t me. Hey, it wasn’t me.” Anyone who has listened to Eddie Murphy’s Raw knows what I’m talking about. So brilliant and timeless. If anything, in this modern-day, technological society we can get caught more easily. The technology has advanced, men have not. (I should say in self-defense this does not pertain to my situation, but after saying the above, I can see where you might think this is just another excuse) Regardless of the wrong, we still go to great lengths to avoid admittance of said wrong.

“I don’t care if it hurts. I wanna have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul.” - Radiohead

I’m a creep, you’re a creep, we are all creeps. Face it, for some reason we treat people like crap even when they don’t deserve it. This selfish society we live in. We are stuck on esthetics, superficial looks and popularity. We want to be in control of our environment. Disillusions, yes, but we still strive. Maybe one day we will learn that the environment controls us, not the other way around. Things happen that are out of our control and people get hurt. It is how we handle the hurt that makes us better people and realize that, in reality, we are not creeps.

“So much hate for the ones we love? Tell me, we both matter, don’t we?” - Placebo

A relationship brings out the extremes of emotions. If we hate then we must love. Without hate, then we are without feelings, including love and affection. Just as long as the latter far out weighs the former. Imagine a relations ship is one big teeter-tooter and that big, husky kid is love. Every once-in-a-while he’s gotta get something to eat, but don’t you worry, he’ll be back to try and launch that little scrawny kid of hate into the sand box 40 feet away.

“Maybe I aught to mention, it was never my intension to harm you our your kin” - David Gray

Seriously, I don’t think guys ever go into a relationship intending to screw someone over, we’re not that clever. In fact, I’m not sure if we ever know truly why we get involved in anything except contests that prove our being men. Maybe that’s the reason for anything we do.

“It’s a small crime, and I have no excuse. Is that alright with you?” - Damien Rice

I think it is our jobs as men to apologies for things we never knew we did, or didn’t, do. Don’t ask me why. Must be a combination of skull thickness, percentage of time distracted by anything else, and lack of any real intelligence. Sure, we can tell you the number, location, and marital status of every attractive girl within a 1000 foot radius of us at all times, but pick up on blatantly obvious signals and messages our significant other is throwing out there right in front of you? Must be genetic. Forgiveness seems to be as simple as an apology in some cases, and as complex as life changes that involve walking on your hands and sleeping under water in others. And it makes it that much more difficult when you are unsure how you have wronged or when. Relationships are complex and guys are not complex beings, kind of like water and oil – they don’t mix too good. But no matter what it takes, if a relationship is to end, must be honest and understand why. Spite is not a good reason, nor is “I need the free time now that pre-season is over”

“Where are we? What the hell is going on? Dust has only begun to form crop circles in the carpet.” - Imogen Heap

So that leaves us on the other side. Things are ok. Another situation faced, forged, and cleared. It will only make the relationship stronger. Perfection is an illusion and more situations will arise. We will learn from our past. With all our faults, we guys really aren’t that bad, are we? So ladies, please bear with us, one day we might surprise you. Just like the ecosystem we will adapt to global warming, if not, we’ll become extinct…like polar bears.