From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Thu Mar 15 2001 - 13:56:32 MST
From: <hal@finney.org>
> Is it really so bad to ask for help? Independence and competence
> are virtues, yes, but being able to recognize and admit weakness and
> incompetence can be just as important.
It kind of depends on who is doing the asking and who is providing help.
Some men are reluctant to ask for directions because of earlier
experiences in which they've been given incorrect information by
indifferent male locals. Completely different scenarios may prevail when a
female asks for help or directions, because males are wired to protect and
provide for females, whereas males don't feel so accommodating towards
other males. Furthermore, male reluctance to ask for help may derive from
others' expectations of self-reliance on the part of men. IOW, having
recognized and admitted his weakness and incompetence, the male of the
species is more motivated to correct this deficiency than is the female,
for whom the appearance of weakness and incompetence may serve to acquire
suitable mates, rather than garner any contempt from peers. Sexual
dimorphism abounds in Homo sapiens sapiens.
τΏτ
Stay hungry,
--J. R.
Useless hypotheses: consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind,
free will
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