This Is A Male Epidemic

jr notes in jr conlin's Ink Stained Banana :: Men are from Junkyard Wars... that males try to solve problems even when we are not supposed to.

I don't know how many times I have done this. It's an impulse. I hear problem, I begin thinking of a solution, I began relaying the solution to whatever party is listening. Furthermore, I will often continue justifying my solution, which leads to defending my position, which leads to an argument. I can't even begin to count how many times this led to girl-trouble. She just wants to bitch and vent, but I compulsively begin to want to solve the problem. You, inevitably, make things worse.

Sometimes people do not need solutions, they need to be listened to.

Of course, then there are the times that they actually want you to help them. You can get in trouble that way, too. It's a matter of choosing the right course of action, and of course, there is no heuristic to follow in coming to a determination. It's a guessing game.

It's nice to know that this affliction has widespread presence.