From women’s eyes this doctrine I derive,

They sparkle still the right Promethean fire:

They are the books, the arts, the academe,

That show, contain and nourish all the world.

— Shakespeare,
Loves Labour Lost

THOSE are very interesting words about women in that quote above: descriptive, colourful and complimentary. ‘They sparkle still the right promethean fire, they are the books, the arts, the academe.’ Wow! Talk about lyrics! Prometheus, of course, was this guy in Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. And you see where having fire has gotten us — good and bad.

But in all the erudite description of women, what wasn’t mentioned was the timeline of the fairer sex, and as we should all know by now, timing is everything. It’s not what you do, but when you do it that’s important. ‘Strike while the iron is hot’, ‘Make hay while the sun shines’, are just some of the phrases that more than hint of timing.

Carpe diem, seize the moment, seize the day, do it at the right time, and that’s what men should do when it comes to navigating the timeline of women. It’s not what the man does, but when he does it that will make women receptive to him. If more men knew this maybe they’d have more success and less grief when dealing with women.

That timeline is very important, as we’ll find out, right after we take the time to see what these readers had to say about my take on ‘Emasculated men’.

Tony,

This is a good article, brother. I have so many friends who have found themselves in that situation, and whenever I try to talk to them, they deny it. This needs to be highlighted more.

Anthony Knight

Teerob,

The plight of emasculated men is a very sad and secret one. So many men live under the yoke of oppression applied by bullying women. And don’t let the size of the man or woman fool you either, for even a big, strong man can be emasculated by a petite woman. It’s not a physical process, but a mental and emotional yoke that crushes the will of the man until he’s bent and broken into submission. It’s more common than you’d think.

Conrad

There is a time for everything; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Those words were taken from the
Bible, Ecclesiastes 3, but if you read them carefully I’m sure many men can relate them to the woman whom they got involved with. Embrace, silent, speak, war, peace, all words that are infused in the fabric of relationships.

It’s not how you approach the woman sometimes but when, it’s knowing when to venture in or when to retreat, when to love and when to… well, unlove, for hate is such a strong word.

But what is this timeline? We’ve always heard about women and their body clock and how time is running out on them when they approach a certain age, but what comes in-between? Well, I had to do my research regarding this, and even though some of it may seem credible I kind of took it with a grain of salt, a modicum of mystery, a dollop of doubt, for after all, it was referring to women, perhaps the most mysterious being on Earth.

Nevertheless, this applies to the modern woman for I don’t think that girls of yesteryear were so bold and forthright at an early age. The research says that at age 12 to 15 girls start to show an interest in boys. And it’s more prevalent than you’d imagine, based on the number of girls of that age who are having babies. Babies having babies.

Anyway, that’s so upsetting that I won’t even address that phase. By age 16 to 18, though, is when girls have no use for boys of their own age. I do recall back in my sixth form days at Kingston College, the girls of the other high schools were drawn to boys who were older than them.

In fact, some of those girls were only interested in older guys who attended university or even those who were working. But if you went to KC, as I did, and played sports, as I did, those girls would be drawn to you. Girls of that age are impressionable, starry eyed, and easily impressed by men who dangle trinkets and promises before them. They are drawn to baubles, bangles and beads, as the poets say, and many older men are aware of those lures.

By age 19 to 20 she’s at the apex of her ego, the research says. At that age she’s all filled out in the right places and gets bombarded with attention from men who have only one thing one their minds.

“Hey sexy lady, I want your body.”

It was Rod Stewart who sang, “If you want my body, and you think I’m sexy, come on, sugar, let me know.”

For many years I thought that song was written about me, but I digress.

At this age, many women are at the peak of their sexuality and beauty. Most models and beauty queens are in this age range, and they bask in this attention-grabbing era. They are wanted, desired, pursued, courted by men, and they can pick, choose and refuse to their heart’s content.

Many only accept men who can flash the cash and deal the dollars, but reject the poor schmuck who dares to approach with just “him two long hand”. “Brother, she’s out of your league. She nuh want nuh bruk pocket man like you.”

The timeline continues. By age 21 to 23 she’s turned off by men who want to have a serious relationship, for in her mind they’re too boring. She’s still drawn to bad boys, as she thinks she’s in control. But time longer than rope, is the old saying, and beauty fades.

By age 24 to 25 she still believes that she has it and that her beauty and allure will last forever. But with all that picking and choosing of men her body count increases, and her value decreases. You may recall that a few weeks ago I explored the consequences of women having a high body count, having too much of a sexual history, and how it can negatively affect any future relationships that they may wish to have.

As I pointed out, most men tend to shy away from women with a high numerical sexual history.

“When she named number 45 I decided that I wasn’t going to be 46, so I left.”

By age 26 to 27 reality hits her, as those adventurous men who used to pursue her now move on to younger versions of herself. Then by age 28 to 29 she gets frantic, in panic mode, as she realises that her value in the market is decreasing. You know what they say about new cars — the value depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot. So you can just imagine the depreciation if it’s driven over and over, ovah nuff bad road and pothole, and by nuff different drivers.

At this age she now starts looking for serious men who will take her as she is, and hopes that they don’t know about her torrid, tempestuous past. But the timeline can be cruel. By age 30 to 33 it dawns on her that despite her past great looks and sex appeal, she’s still alone. She now starts looking around for a man in all corners, crevices, and cubbyholes, including church and social clubs.

This is the age when many women have a change of lifestyle and join church, from passion to pulpit, prurience to prayers, heathen to halo, and will even pursue parson if he’ll permit her. I have seen it more than often, and know quite a few women who are now wives of the clergy.

Above that age, when she’s way up in her 30s and approaching 40, is when she starts getting frantic upon realising that life has passed her by. Men no longer chase after her; men rarely ask her out or for a second date; and, horror of horrors, men will sleep with her only once, then move on. Wham, bam! Thank you, ma’am.

Her allure, lore, lure and magnetism have all gone, and she’d welcome a lusting look, a wry wink, or a gleeful glance in her direction from a man, almost any man. When she realises that the catcalls and whistles have all but disappeared she becomes angry and blames men for her pitiful plight, her lonely state of affairs, her lack of affairs.

Time is indeed longer than rope. Of course, this does not apply to all women as there are exceptions to every rule, for there are women who are fortunate to delay the onset of time and even juggle their timeline. But that’s the general timeline that’s to be expected from most women.

Men should be aware of this and act accordingly and appropriately. As the song by Kenny Rogers goes, ‘You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.’ So you should know at what age and stage a woman will be receptive to your advances or shun you like a pariah.

Now, the question is, do men also have a timeline? That too shall be explored.

More time.

seido1yard@gmail.com

Footnote: Sometimes not everything that seems to be bad will be detrimental to our welfare. Maybe you’ve heard the story of the bird who was freezing in the snow until a cow came along and crapped on him. That kept him warm, until a wolf came along, dug him out of the cow dung and ate him. Not everyone who craps on you means you harm, and not everyone who appears to save you means you good.

A friend of mine was driving home late one night and fell asleep at the wheel. She was jolted out of her sleep by her car hitting a pothole. So, even a terrible pothole saved her life. This should be a lesson to all of us. Not everything that seems to be negative really is, and not every hurdle is an obstacle, sometimes it’s a stepping stone.