Chivalry is dead...

...or shall I say equal rights has taken over? This post is directed more towards countries that men and women have equal opportunity to work, make money, and to take care of the household.

I guess I'll explain this statement by first talking about how it used to be vs how it is now. In the past a couple, or a tribe, relied on both parties to be responsible for fulfilling their roles in the community and household. To say the least, they needed each other, relied on each other, and therefore once a functional relationship was in place they rarely left each other. Not to say that this had anything to do with the modern day religious based terms of marriage, and divorce, but they had loyalty to each other because it meant survival.

Then we came in to this era where woman still wanted to be taken care of by a man, but it was less for reasons of survival. It was more so because they wanted a man to be a man. The big strong protective man. Not to much of an alpha male though since all that aggression can sometimes feel like they are reverting back to their roots when they had to act that way for survival. It's unnecessary nowadays.

Jumping forward in to the 21 century, we now have equality pretty much across the work force. In todays society women have just as much opportunity, if not more, to succeed. Now comes the awkward part. Women want equality, but also they want chivalry. Here is where I'm going to divide this blog into two parts. The first part will simply be about emotions, and the second part will be about opportunities.

I think that women like chivalry because it's the little things that a man does for her that makes her happy. I understand that. It's nice if someone opens a door for you to the car. It's nice if they open the door to the building and let you step inside first. Take note that in some countries the man will never let a woman walk through a door first. It's not because he is any more important, but in reality it is because it could be potentially dangerous to send the woman into an unknown room first. It is for her protection that he enters first. Unfortunately many woman find it rude if the man doesn't send them into danger first. So women have assumed this role that the man should do all these nice things for her to protect her, and to "be a man", but not do anything in return. The big question is, has anyone stopped to think that maybe a man would appreciate these things as well? Living in a world of equal opportunity now, I personally would like it if a girl showed me some chivalry also. Sorry ladies, but if you truly want equal  opportunity then lets have it. The same things that make you happy when I do them for you, honestly, would make me happy as well if you did them for me as well. I'm pretty sure there isn't a car door, building door, or chair to heavy for you to open or push in for me. In return I will do the same for you. Some things are meaningless as well. I'm about 99% positive that me walking on the road side of the sidewalk isn't going to stop a car injuring us in any manner any less than if you were walking on the road side. If you are not capable of walking a straight line and keeping balance from falling into the street full of oncoming traffic then I understand, and I would then see the need of the man walking on the road side of the sidewalk. In relationships they should be mutual and both parties should strive to make each other happy. The underlying message behind all this is that you should simply do things for each other because you know it will make each other happy. You shouldn't expect "chivalry", but instead appreciate the continuous good deeds, and acts of kindness, that you both equally do for each other. I wrote this to talk about general situations with most single couples. Of course when kids, different yearly incomes, and other factors come in to play things change, but when you are single you should be able to afford yourself. You should be able to afford your own toys, habits, and travels. You should be aware of your potentials partners level of security and build lives together that could lead to a greater happiness between the two of you. If you truly understand each other and your relative financial situations then you can each step up when you need to, to accomplish the larger goals in life. Having a sense of entitlement and that the man should pay for everything won't allow you to reach your full potential together. This will greatly inhibit your access to golden opportunities, which I will discuss in the next paragraph.

The second part of this blog is about opportunity. This involves some very simple math equations. I know many of us hate math, but trust me on this one. This is truly simple math, elementary level. To start out, many times I see women working a job, and often they complain that it's not providing them with enough income. The next step in this thought process can go 1 of 2 ways. Option 1 is that the woman can now look for employment in a job that better suits her financial income needs, since we now live in an equal opportunity work force, or option 2 is to find a man with a higher income to help supplement the gap between what she makes, and what she wants to be making. If the woman chooses option 1 then the world of opportunity will open up and the sky is the limit. Forget that, the UNIVERSE is the limit, and even that just may be limitless. Heres the simple math part. Try to follow me here. If the man takes every opportunity and gives 100% of himself to following his dreams and goals, AND the woman also gives 100% towards following her dreams and goals, then we can do the math and see that 100% + 100% = 200% divided by two people = 100% chance of accomplishing their hopes, dreams, and any goals they want to accomplish. That is truly superb! These are the kind of women I want to know!

Now option 2 is not the optimum choice if you want to achieve everything you set out to achieve in life. If the guy is giving 100%, but the girl is only giving 75% and then supplementing her income with 25% of his to make her 100% complete then, well, you get the picture. You can simply say that they will not be reaching 100% potential in living life to its fullest. So when I say chivalry is dead, what I mean is don't sell yourself short. In these current times we can support our partners in each others adventures and help lift each other up to higher grounds. We can soar beyond beliefs much further than ever before.

In the end, I will say that we should take care of each other out of respect and love for each other, but we should both be putting in 100% to the relationship. If a woman wants equal rights then she should step up to the plate and be equal. Don't play the "I want equal rights, but i still want the man to take care of me" card. We shouldn't be relying on each other for survival anymore nowadays, but rather rely on each other for love and comfort.