There’s a fairly well known older song called “Joy in the Journey” by the legendary Christian artist/songwriter/sage Michael Card.
I just heard it on the radio. It essentially underscores the Frostian notion that life (in Christ) is a journey. That is joyful. Because of our hope in Christ along the way. It is an amazing song. But the title?
I have come to the conclusion that it’s only half true. Not the joy part. The journey part. Sorry Michael…er…Mr. Card.
Because here’s the thing. The popular sentiment that the joy is in the journey essentially ignores the reality of an entire gender – namely us men. For men life’s not a journey, it’s a bunch of destinations with blurs in between them.
For guys the joy is getting there, it’s the conquest, the accomplishment, the win, the end more than the means to that end. Is this universal? Of course not, but I bet it nearly is. Are women like this? Absolutely. And I’m not saying its right, but it just is.
It’s why guys are typically bad with relationships and remembering things and why we wear stripes with plaid. It’s why we get distracted so easily and forget to brush our hair or wear shirts with a hole in it.
It’s why when asked a question we usually give the short answer, no details. It’s why guys are more interested in watching movies like Terminator, Gladiator, or Braveheart rather than go to the opera or watch Shakespeare. And why we drive our women crazy.
But it’s also what makes guys rock at certain things. Sports, long trips, anything with a concrete goal in mind, protecting our families, protecting our country, cutting up large trees, destroying anything, blowing leaves, wrestling, pursuing goals, pursuing women…(pursuing anything),
being dads (despite the current cultural disenfranchisement there are tons of great fathers out there…if you want to find them ladies, just go to local Scout meetings, baseball/football/soccer fields, hiking trails, late night PTA meetings, church youth groups, and fishing ponds across the country…you’ll find them there), being crummy husbands who work hard to be better at it, and so on.
Men enjoy the journey. Don’t get me wrong. But for us the joy is in the destination, the accomplishment. The victory. It’s been the driving force of men since Creation.
I’m not saying it’s right, it just is.
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