impress a potential jury (and all our relatives, friends and associates are potential jurors) has actually been the cause of untold misery and misunderstandings not only in relations with a wife who could easily be in the A-class but vis-a-vis acquaintances and friends. I main. tain that it is not enough to dress the part well and to act pleasantly without shame and guilt. In addition we must be ready and well equipped with convincing argum- ents to disarm any attempt at condemnation or destruct- ive criticism. Once we have fully accepted ourselves as we are, we have the duty and obligation to learn to put others at ease and make them feel the pleasant, relaxed aura which envelops most TV's. Words are powerful weapons. I have personally seen hesitant wives do a complete turnabout after hearing a serene, and persuas“ ive explanation of the way a TV feels within himself. There's no need to run to a psychiatrist in the hope that he'll be able to "talk the wife into accepting her hus- band's TVism". When two people love each other, the husband can perform miracles, IF he knows what he is talking about, and IF he knows how to express himself with clarity and conviction.
Let us remember that most wives have never heard of such a thing. And if they have any ideas about the subject, it is usually the same mish-mash of misinfor- mation spiced up with prejudices, intolerance and ignor- ance that the average person has acquired about uncon- ventional behaviour such as ours. If the wife is a total idiot then no matter how good an exposition we present to her, she just won't follow but if she loves him (and idiots do fall in love sometimes) then her feelings should be sufficient to gain her acceptance and co-oper- ation. Sometimes I have the awful feeling that very few people get married because they love each other. If they did, I'm sure we would have very few cases of marital anguish because of TVism. So, the A- wife, above all, loves the guy she married, learns all about his feelings and this particular facet of his personality, shares with him the happiness that permeates his whole being when he is dressed up and actively helps him to get rid of any guilt, awkwardness, and fear. If he really loves her, this active participation of hers in this vital aspect of his life, should produce a "together- ness" that most married couples would envy.
71.