The Menu

Life Without the Opposite Sex

By: Aaron Clarey

Narrated by: Jack Napier

Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

For all of human history, men and women came together to form families. It may have been common, it may have been routine, but that is what they did. Generation after generation, for all of human history, men and women formed families.

That is until now.

Because with advances in technology, incredible economic growth, a generous welfare state, and the political movement of feminism, men and women no longer need each other in order to survive. And as much as we'd like to deny it, when given the choice, men and women are empirically and increasingly choosing to be alone. By 2030, 45 percent of marriage-age women are forecasted to be single, rendering the same percent of men equally so. 70 percent of both men and women are overweight, indicating little serious interest in attracting a mate. Marriage ranks fifth place on women's priority list. And one in three marrying-age men live with their parents. And all that with crippling college debt that makes having a family a luxury most will never afford.

But the solution is not to reverse or somehow undo the forces that got us here. Those political, economic, and sociological forces are simply unstoppable. Marriage is not coming back, certainly not in your lifetime. The solution is to give up hope. The solution is to stoically accept this fate. Because whether you'd like to admit it or not, only one in every two of you are going to get married (and only one in eight of you who do will be happy!). And thus the real risk you face is not “never getting married” or “never having a family”, but wasting your one and preciously short life pursuing something that is statistically unlikely to happen.

Unfortunately, this dark reality leaves half the population in an existential lurch. Without family, marriage, love, or a loving spouse, what do people have to live for in life? You are here, after all, and you have to do something with your 80 years of consciousness on this planet. So unless you're going to kill yourself, your existence forces you to find a purpose and reason to live. You cannot merely “exist”. And so, most people today and into the future are faced with the arduous task of finding purpose and meaning in life, absent the opposite sex.

Thus, The Menu.

Though humanity has never been to the point where women and men abandoned one another before, that doesn't mean there is not a limitless number of things life offers that gives it value. Whether it's hobbies, vice, philosophy, religion, your career, or your friends, the world offers a limitless menu for you to choose from. A never-ending buffet of things you can do, pursue, enjoy, and become during your 80 year visit here. And while it may not be what two million years of genetics are screaming at you to want, it's superior to falling in love and having a family, simply because it's possible. It's at least on The Menu. And so you face a very simple question. Do you want to spend yet another night at home, playing video games, jerking off to porn, and downing some Mountain Dew? Do you want to drink another bottle...or two...of wine while you watch yet another Hallmark movie? Or do you want to put on your big girl panties, cowboy up, acknowledge there is no one out there for you, and make this life count as much as you possibly can?

You're going to die. There's no doubt about that. The question is if you're going to live. Order something from The Menu.

©2022 Aaron Clarey (P)2022 Aaron Clarey

A great book

This was definitely an interesting listen. Better Bachelor sent me here.It was a long but well worth it wait for chapter 6 the Mens menu. The whole book acts as a manual for how both men and women who fall into the vacant places of society and the dating scene can still make it. Thanks for the book

the kick in the ass that I needed

Concise but vastly informed. Jack Napier did an awesome job. 1099 master race. Cap basically put dating and relationships where they belong . in reality. Being a person that withdrew from society and dating for a time , it was sobering to hear all the terrible dates I went on weren't because I was unattractive, unstable , or undate-able . it was because children, marriage, the dream was all a lie to keep you on the treadmill of buying stuff . now going forward I know that I wasn't just unlucky. I'm not going to meet that girl cause she doesn't exist. I'm going to seek fulfillment in myself via adventure and helping my fellow man .

Overall good but conflicting

The concepts in this book are very similar to many other male focused books regarding the shift in genders and how to be more masculine but what's nice about this one is that it gives you many examples, details and options in the male and female chapters on avenues and hobbies to get into. However some can be conflicting, he talks about getting an education then bashes the education system, talks about how horrific corporate America is but tells Woman to go after those high positions if they want them. There are topics I agree with and some that I don't, possibly because this author has a greater focus on the male perspective so I tried to listen unbiased but had a hard time morally accepting the idea that woman could be mistresses if they want to because marriages don't last anyways so who cares. This book details what options there are for living in the current western civilization so if you can take everything for face value, you'll gain a lot in being able to find a purpose in your future.

thank you

loved it . a good starter point for either sex. a def must read

Great advice man or women

Highly recommended. Short read but practical in every way. Add purpose to your life in creative ways you may have never thought of before.

Great book

I really enjoyed the this book.

It's clear and easy to follow. Full of realistic advices for dating and life.

great guidance

Its a good framework for how to get your ish together as a 20 year old guy these days. Bangkok and an SV650 is in my near future.

Not what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised

When you sit and think what to do with your life, what adventure to pursue or if you found yourself in a place you don't want to be - read this book, it resonated with me and should with you.

Great Info for ALL MEN

Great info that many of us men didn't get growing up, and now we're paying the price. Hobbies, health, money, friends, and self esteem are more worthy pursuits than chasing after the modern woman. This book should one of many standard reading for men. The information is solid and practical, but the narration on the audiobook is terrible. I would recommend you try to get past the poor narration as the info is great, or just buy the physical copy.

If you don't know what to do in life, here are some options

This is not really a how to for lost people, but just that - the menu. And you are free to choose anything from the menu what you like, but before you choose, it's better to try it out, even if you think that's not for you. Jack Napier narration is really good, I enjoyed his voice and clear pronunciation