Week 6: So Long Insecurity (by Beth Moore) Online Exercise

In chapter 10 of Beth Moore's book, "So Long Insecurity: You've been a bad friend to us" it discusses the perspective of insecurity from a man's perspective. This chapter entitled, "Neither Gods nor Devils" discusses Beth's survey of men. Chapter 11 "Eating from the Wrong Tree" is all about how in a woman's quest for knowledge she may be eating from the "Tree of Life" or the "Tree of Knowledge of good and evil." In a woman's battle with insecurity, it is investing in the knowledge of thyself (know thyself) through exploring books like Moore's and in attending weekly sessions such as the discussion group that she can begin to understand her insecurities and not allow them to rule her life.

The assignment for this week is to read CHAPTERS 10 AND 11 and answer the following question:
1. Based on Chapter 10, in all truthfulness, has your historical tendency been to view men (generally speaking) as gods? Or devils?

This varies depending on what environment I'm in. In personal relationships I would typically say Gods - because I invest my happiness in them. I know that my happiness only truly comes from knowing myself. At work, I would view men as devils for some reason - cut-throat and out for the bottom line and themselves as they climb the corporate ladder. That somehow to reach that level, I had to be ruthless and aggressive like a man, when in many cases there are some male coworkers and managers that don't manage with aggressiveness.

2. Based on Chapter 10 and your own day-to-day observances, what differences do you see between men’s insecurities and women’s?

I definitely agree that a man struggles with what is the true definition of being a "man." They want to be manly and strive to be that without fully knowing what that means or what it all entails. I had a conversation with my better half about his insecurities and he stated that due to our age differences (we are 10 years apart) he's insecure about his appearance and attractiveness. Men also struggle with insecurity in terms of the accumulation of wealth - So far at a workplace I have seen 10 brand new BMWs, all driven by men (conveniently after bonus time) in order to address their status.

3. On p.208 in Chapter 11, I suggest that women who struggle with insecurity tend to be particularly taken with 2 divine attributes: omnipotence and omniscience. Did either of these resonate with you? If so, how?

Omnipotence is all powerful and omniscience is all knowing. For a long time, I definitely was more prone to omniscience. I believed I was all knowing and could read people's minds. This was something my mother did to me often and I passed it on. I would make irrational decisions, lash out, and sometimes react unfairly to what I thought I knew.

Being able to explore gender related insecurities is one aspect of our insecurity that we can learn from. The idea is that everyone has insecurities and where that comes from and how we deal with that in our heads can do wonders for how we interact with others.