It was a close game from beginning to end. The hot Celtics as guests in the house of the Mavericks, are on quite a winning streak. The Mavs needed the game more than the Beantown boys did. The Celtics are currently the hottest team in the NBA. Despite which team you wanted to win, everyone got their money's worth this past Thursday night. It was a good game seasoned with less than stellar officiating.
Though I'm not especially a Mav's fan (however, I'll root for them quicker than I once did), it was sad to watch my "team" lose. You see, my team lost somewhere in the middle of the third quarter.
She was dressed in less than a woman her age ought to be (in my opinion), but as a result had the attention of most males on our side of the arena as she made her way up the long steps from the high-dollar seats closest to the floor. She had a walk about her that definitely drew attention, but she is not what caught my eye this time. What caught my eye was her "guy" walking about 5 steps behind her. He had a look I will not forget for some time... It was the look on his face, watching all the other guys who chose to watch her, that captured my attention.
There wasn't a hint of discomfort or irritation on his part that many guys eyes left the game and watched her parade all the way up the steps. In fact, by the sly smile appearing on his face, he was clearly quite satisfied and pleased that so many other men were looking at her. Where an upright guy likely would have fought to defend the dignity of his lady by sending back stares of indignation, this guy swam in a sea of complete self-absorption. His own greed crested on top of waves and jeers from of his male counterparts all the way from section 105 to 109.
The moment crashed over me with force. I didn't need any cold water to shock me back into sane awareness. The moment was clear enough in itself. At times we human beings, but especially us guys, can be so self-centered and self-absorbed, we'll sell out the dignity of another person to feed the beast within us. The sale price goes even higher at the expense of our gentler female counterparts by way of sexual exploitation and general disregard for their intrinsic beauty and God-instilled goodness.
We men need to take a hard look at ourselves, especially when it comes to how we treat women.
At the risk of sounding even the slightest bit self-righteous, I confess I've been as guilty as the guy at the game (though maybe not in exactly the same way). But in the past couple years, I've really been giving prayerful attention to how feeding my own ego costs other people in the process. I hope I'm making progress, but for now I'll simply accept an increasing awareness of the transaction in my own life. It is not an easy thing to turn around, but when it so obviously happens right in front of you as it did at the Mavericks game the other night, it isn't that hard to miss.
As it was, the Mavericks lost to the Celtics 94-90. But that wasn't the big loss of the night. The bigger loss was one suffered by the human race. It was the loss of dignity the "all male team" suffered as one of us walked up the stairs in that arena somewhere in the middle of the third quarter. It's always sad when your team loses.
2 comments:
Christopher, I appreciate your honesty and your perception, but as a member of the "female team", I have a different thought.
By drawing so much attention to herself, does the woman realize what she herself is giving up and how costly it is to the rest of her team? I believe many women don't understand the cost, or simply don't know how to prevent it. That makes me sad for "my team".
Cathy certainly has a valid point and one that is most credibly made by a lady. It is interesting to me how all of us will use the most superficial of things to attempt to bolster that part of us that is so important.
Thanks for the input, Cathy!
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