Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Some men say they cannot live with women and they cannot live without women.

I think they mean they do not understand women.

I choose to celebrate women as a necessary and wonderful addition to a man's world and would rate women as the third most important gift from my maker God, who happens to be a man and not a woman.

I choose to not be confused by women who insist that God is a woman and not a man; their lack of perception on this matter is entirely their problem and shall remain so.

Women are God's third most important gift, following the gift of life and the gift of free will.

Without the gift of life all would be null and void and this explanation meaningless.

Without the gift of free will a man would not be able to make choices and decisions and thus would be rendered useless both to him and her.

Since women are a necessary and wonderful addition to a man's world here are 14 things that every woman should know about men and why some men are more interesting than others.

A Man's Five Basic Jobs

Just as a man has five fingers on his left hand there are five jobs his analytical mind tells him he must do:

1) Defend his loved ones. A man is the first responder to any unexpected threats to his loved ones. That means putting his life on the line if necessary. He is bigger, stronger and more aggressive than those he loves and will fight dearly to keep them safe.

2) Protect his loved ones. A man protects his loved ones from any perceived threats. He is street smart, he sees trouble coming and keeps his family out of harms way.

3) Provide for his loved ones. A man figures out a way to generate income either working for others or making his own way in the world. He supplies the basic needs for his family-food, shelter, clothing and transportation.

4) Encourage his loved ones. A man must be the lighthouse in stormy times of crisis and challenge. His job is to be stable, sensible, resourceful and ready to encourage his family through tough times. He must put on a brave face and have a big heart when compassion and understanding are needed.

He understands that the way to overcome fear is to take action despite the danger or risk in doing so.

5) Lead his loved ones. A man must be the leader for his loved ones in several critical areas:

Generating Income. He should be the main source of providing for the basic needs of the family.

Handling Discipline. He should realize and act when his loved ones need to toe the mark.

Improving His Knowledge and Skills. He should use education and training to get on in the world.

Developing Spiritual Growth. He needs to recognize a greater power than himself so that when he is no longer there to provide and to comfort his family they are not alone in the world.

Developing Personal Growth. He needs not only the professional growth that education and training can help provide, but he also needs personal growth. He needs to be able to change his thought process, belief system and core being so that he is not the same bigoted person that he was 40 years ago.

Providing Recreational Opportunities. He should provide fun, family activities for his loved ones so the challenge of simply performing our daily responsibilities does not become onerous.

Being a Role Model. He should become a role model for behavior, values, ethics and morals that is worth emulating.

If a man had only his left hand and only lived with his left hand he would indeed be an incredible creature when fulfilling the five jobs his analytical mind tells him he must do.