where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods?

A friend recently told me that he assesses a man based on his treatment of his wife. "He's a good guy," my friend said. "What makes him 'good?'" I queried. "He's a good husband. He's good to his wife."

I refuse to be a bitter old maid. It's not the old maid part that I want to avoid. It's the bitterness. And this entry will not be one seeped in acrimony or hostility towards the opposite sex. Simply, it will be an observation of what I've personally encountered.

What have I personally encountered? More sordid tales of marital strife than any soap opera or movie could portray. These days, we're immersed in "broken-home products." Since the U.S. divorce rate is now hovering around 50% seems like at least 50% of our friends are from "broken homes." And it seems that these friends aren't going through simple "irreconcilable differences." We're talking about brutal physical abuse, relentless mental abuse, unfaithfulness both physically and emotionally. And this infidelity isn't even simple... multiple mistresses, cheating on both sides, prostitution and more. Nothing surprises me anymore, though it does continually dampen my outlook on peoplekind.

I've come a long way from the fourth grade feminist brat I used to be. At least I don't parade around my neighborhood with a Susan B. Anthony poster anymore. But invariably, the stories I encounter portray a male figure succumbing to physical, sometimes emotional temptation. To be fair, I suppose a male is led to such digressions when he is "lacking" something in his home. However, in this world dominated by men, which it still is, where are the true role models? Our presidents, from Jefferson to Roosevelt to Kennedy and of course Clinton; all cheaters. Actors, musicians, politicians, even religious leaders. Yet, they are commended for their various other accomplishments, which seem to diminish their mistakes in their homes.

We need a hero.