Petraeus, Women and Evolution


Poor CIA Director, David Petraeus.  After a lifetime of meritorious service, honorable conduct and outstanding achievement he is now out of work, living in the dog house and is a media buffoon.  At the age of 60 Petraeus fell for the charms of a raven haired, athletic beauty 20 years his junior.  I am quite certain that Gen. Petraeus has no plans to divorce his wife and marry this woman.  There is nothing like day-to-day routine to suck the life out of an affair.  I would also assume that his mistress, Paula Broadwell, (now that, my friends, is an unfortunate surname) has little to offer other than the affair itself.  I have heard her speak and, frankly, it just isn’t there. 

Petraeus undoubtedly knows that he has a life partner in his current wife, Holly.  He also knows that he owes her more than any divorce court could ever assign for being the glue that held his family together during the peripatetic life of a rising military star.  For heavens sake, the family moved 23 times in 36 years as Petraeus moved on and up! 

While they may have been a good team, Gen. Petraeus’s wife committed the one, seemingly unforgivable, sin of all long standing marriages.  She grew as old as he did. 

All of us have problems with aging.  There are physical problems.  What are you doing at 3:30 a.m.?  Yup, me too.  Then there are emotional and mental problems.  But men and women clearly process these differently.  Quite frankly, if a man twenty years younger than me started batting his eyes at me and wanting to buy me Starbucks while giggling at my jokes the only question I would have is, “Do you have money on this, or are you just after some of mine?”   Let’s face it folks, while in my mind I am definitely Marilyn Monroe, every time I look in the mirror all I see in Angela Lansbury (not that she wasn’t a saucy little tart in her day). 

With men I am convinced it is different.  When a younger woman starts coming on to them, their immediate reaction is, “You bet!  I knew I was that guy all along.”  I became convinced of this basic difference when I lifted weights twice a week at the YMCA.   The room had mirrors along one entire wall.  Women would do any kind of contortion to keep from looking at themselves in those mirrors.  The men would stand right in front of the mirror and smile the whole time.  I know that women looked at themselves and saw every flaw.  But the men stood there, pumping iron, and saying, “Damn I look good!” with every lift. 

Go ahead; correct me if I am wrong.

But I digress.  Let’s get back to the unfortunate General.  How did he end up in this mess?  Robin Williams has a line that sums things up nicely.  He points out that God gave man a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to operate one at a time.  Men are the victims of their limbic system and evolution.  They must obey the three laws of all successful organisms: to eat, not be eaten, and pass on your DNA.  Women have the same urges, but we also layer in eons of reason. 

We age.  So do our husbands.  Hopefully that shared history earns both parties a degree of admiration and respect.  I think right now David Petraeus is also hoping for a generous slice of forgiveness. 

Care for each other, and keep the faith. 

Comments

Unknown said…
Very well said. Self-control and will power are also very important. I may have the desire to eat a whole big bar of chocolate, but I can opt to eat only a small square.
November 14, 2012 at 7:39 AM
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