Safe and Sound

I've been thinking a lot about girls recently. Not the "ERMERGERD! I think about girls all the time 'cause I love their hair, and their pretty ribbons, and their dresses, and their smiles, and their obsessions with puppy dogs!!" kind of way, but the "wow, that sucks being a girl" kind of way. I'm not going to show a bias, because frankly, it sucks to be a guy too, but what I'm trying to hint at is that life can be unnecessarily complicated for a girl. The main complication, that just doesn't leave my mind, is the want they have to feel safe. Girls, if you're reading this and I'm just dead wrong, please let me know, but I feel like it's increasingly harder for the female gender to feel safe in this world.
I remember all those times I've talked with girls and the advice I gave, and in the end, it was pretty much the same problem. She doesn't feel safe talking to him about her feelings, she doesn't feel safe in him respecting her privacy, she doesn't feel safe when they're intimate, she doesn't feel safe with the way he drives, she doesn't feel safe with the way he talks about her, and the list goes on and on and on. I realize right now that by posting things like this to the general public it is near self deprecation because every girl is going to look at this and think "Awww! He's so sweet!" and then I'm permanently in the friend zone, but hey, frankly I just don't care, this needs to be said.
Girls spend every day from birth to death being graded on their beauty, their intellect, their poise, and their success. "She's such a pretty baby" and "She's the smartest girl in her class" ring through the ears of all those girls growing up, whether it's directed at them, or at the girl next door. They get it from parents, from teachers, from peers, but most of all from other girls. Then they grow up with this innate insecurity, wanting so bad to hear those words either over again, or once in their lifetime. Later on they get addicted, they need that confirmation, perhaps not from everyone, but from those important to them. Do you understand what I'm saying boys? You need to express how much you love the girls in your life frequently, it should never be used as a vehicle to get what you want, and you should never under any circumstances take advantage of a woman's vulnerability. They are young, they are strong, they are beautiful, but they can at times have the most fragile of feelings; a trait that nowadays is considered a vice instead of a virtue.
In addition, girls want to know they're being heard. Don't ignore them. Listen to what they have to say and try your best to understand. There is a definitive difference in wiring between men and women, and finding that difference, to respect it, is key in living a long healthy life with someone you love. Do NOT discredit what a girl says as "her emotions acting up" even if it is the truth.
 There are two things I believe every girl wants, and that is to be understood and surprised. Unfortunately, many of the basic of basics are being ignored by our modern generation of men, and therefore, surprising women can be as simple as acting polite or civil, but to understand them takes patience, confidence, love, and an open ear. Without these things you will become a disservice to the women we love and care for so much. There is an ample love and an intricate personality under the makeup and extravagant clothes that women wear, and until you are able to see beneath this facade, you will never give them the love, respect, and devotion they deserve. All they need is a place to feel safe, and an ear to hear sound. Can we in fact be so much more than a man, and be a guardian instead? Women, I now address you as I let you in on a little secret.
Every day a man battles with himself. He also can have fears, doubts, and inadequacies. The only way that he is going to win that battle is if he has a good woman fighting it with him. Do not let him slouch, do not make excuses for him, for if you do, he will surely lose over and over again.
It kills me to consistently see the problems of the world stemming from that misunderstanding between women and men, and their refusal to be patient with one another through all things. I only want all those wonderful people I know to stop feeling lonely, stop slumping into depression, and stop feeling like they don't measure up. Some of you out there may wonder what I'm talking about. Your lives are probably very blessed. I'm sure you understood these principles since you were a child, you found the one you want to spend every waking moment with, and you live a life free from these concerns. But you are few, and a rare breed.
People, be honest, find what you're really after, take a risk, let someone know that you like or even love them. Stop hiding behind fears of rejection and hesitance, and just start talking with someone. If they are of good heart, they will always listen. And there's a philosophy in a tea cup, safe and sound.