the Gilder factor

Ok, so I live in a house with men. I have one husband and 5 sons and soon-to-be 5 grandsons. On some level, I understand men.

A truly frightening thought.

If I could give you their motto it would be "If it is there, it is to be conquered." We could be talking about bullding a deck, changing the battery in the TV remote, planning an assault on North Korea, or getting rid of dandruff.

George Gilder, in his most wonderful book Men and Marriage (formerly titled Sexual Suicide), masterfully articulates the age-old truth that men and women are different and that men are, indeed, hunters and in need of women to civilize them. He shows, statistically, what happens in cultures where a lack of civilizing, that is, socially aberrant behavior, occurs and challenges society to embrace this concept by encouraging one-man, one-woman relationships in marriage. A novel idea in our post-modern world.

Gilder goes on to suggest that this conquering takes wings when women and children are the reason for the quest to conquer. According to Gilder, prosperity, productivity, and a healthy, peacful environment occur when men channel their need to conquer by providing for their families and, in the process, produce a legacy for future generations.

Think of that today, ladies.

You aren't merely wiping the whiskers out of the sink and picking up the dirty underwear.

You are saving mankind!