In which I stand against inaction…
I believe that men and women should be together, because love and sex can be among life’s greatest joys.
I recognize that as I search for love, or strive to be true to the love that I have found, I am engaged in constant battle. My opponents are the feelings that drive us to do nothing, and leave us to languish in our aloneness.
I will battle apathy and hesitation, which trap us in inaction. I will not honor the fear of what could go wrong, or the thought that doing nothing will suffice, while we all wait for a perfection that may never come.
I must have passion, resolve, and courage.
I will not give in to the false comfort of thinking that it could be okay to be alone forever.
I will grab life with both hands. Where I see attraction or chemistry, I will act on it. I will not fear rejection when I first speak to a woman, and I will not shirk my duty to communicate my interest with such simple, honest words as “I like you.” A good man is not stingy with his affection.
I will touch the women who I want, as friends touch. If they do not pull away, I will kiss them, and let that lead where it may.
I am prepared to love and lose. I will not fear the end before anything has begun.
I will not cheat. I will not steal the loves of others.
I must view my love as a gift, and to that end, I must strive to be a blessing on a woman, the hero of my own life story, and thoroughly a man of virtue.
This I commit to, for I have set my heart on love.
©Ben Hourigan, 2010