Men, the Mating Game, and Depression

I've given some significant thought to the aggression, irritability and depression in males. It seems to transcend age groups, race, social status, religious affiliation etc.. But the question that puzzled me is whether depression/aggression is manifested as a response to cultural stimuli or can its locus be found in the biological makeup of males. The answer, of course, is both; but since I have neither the time nor the resources to assess the former, I have some initial thoughts on the latter from what I've gathered in reading and my own anecdotal evidence.

According to the scientific definition of our biological makeup, there are two types: male and female. The former produce many small gametes and the latter produce few but much larger gametes. To put this in perspective, one female egg can house something like 1/4 million sperm cells--incredible! While the female produces only a few hundred eggs in her life, the male produces millions of sperm daily. Thus, there will always be many times more sperm than there are eggs.

As a consequence, these millions of sperm must rigorously compete for access to those rare eggs. This, in my opinion, radically effects how we act as males. As the male attempts to move his sperm to gain access to the best eggs, the female gets to make a selection from among those males who come courting. Men are then always in flux and in a restless state of pursuing the best females in efforts to fertilize their precious, limited eggs. From the greenest of algae to the most blue-blood aristocrat, we are involved in a game of cat-and-mouse where males' primal response is to pursue and females' is to escape (or accept).

What does it all mean?
So here is the deal-i-o. I would argue that there will always be more irritable and depressed men than women. Because women carry the larger, more scarce eggs, they will always be sought after by more men than the other way around. Women will always have the upper hand and will always get to choose the most attractive male from among those who present themselves to fertilize her egg. This inevitably frustrates men. Those who don't get to fertilize the best eggs turn irritable; those who don't get to fertilize any eggs turn violent or depressed or both.

Maybe this explains why young men do stupid things and take more risks than young women. Since young men are in an endless competition with one another, some must be willing to fight or take other risks in order to have the best chances of having sex with the most attractive females. In this sense, it helps explain some of male aggression.

Maybe this is one reason why older men cheat on their wives. If they stay with their 50-year old, post-menopausal wife, their chances to fertilize the best eggs are obsolete. However, if they find a beautiful, young mare, their chances at the best eggs increase. Of course, none of this occurs on a conscious level, but the biological make-up does seem to serve as a sort of impetus for one's actions.

Just a thought.

New Jersey Coast

I recently visited the NJ coast on my birthday. It was a lovely day. In fact, I've learned any sunny day that reaches above 40 degrees at the beginning of February in New Jersey makes for a great day. Though I can't be certain, my estimation is that this photo was taken near Ocean Beach, NJ.

I've snapped hundreds of photos in the last month or so. I was roughly pleased with this one.

Title Track

My first post is to comment in brief on the title I chose for this blog: "Faith Seeking Understanding" or "fides quaerens intellectum." Perhaps I chose this title because I thought it appropriately describes my Sitz im Leben (i.e. setting in life).

I'm currently in graduate school at Princeton Theological Seminary, so at the backdrop of such a statement is the understanding that the task of my self-examination (and general reflection of all things material and spiritual) rests on the assumption that faith and inquiry are inseparable. Perhaps what I assume reflects the age-old adage posited by Augustine, "I believe in order that I may understand." But, of course, any Princetonian who dabbles in theology knows I am ripping off the great St. Anselm who is credited with coining the phrase from his piece entitled, Proslogion, 1. Still, my sense is that all this is indicative to the fact that as religious human beings, we desperately seek to understand in what we claim to believe.

But in the end, I have to believe that this faith seeks understanding, and ultimately understanding will bring joy amidst this miserable world.