About the Author
Dr Ricky Arenson
I grew up in the shadow of Table Mountain and Apartheid in Cape Town. My experiences of a country divided by anger, race and discrimination stimulated my passion for bringing people together, so I am determined to combat the divisive nature of today’s fashionable “identity politics.”
As a child, my issues with ADHD led to me spending my schooling orbiting a different planet, drawing cartoons, writing poetry, and meditating about the superiority of women. I was constantly accused of being good for nothing and lazy. My talent for providing constant disappointment to others prepared me well for marriage! It also trained me to think outside the square and developed my passion for independent, critical thinking. As Robert Heinlein said, “Does history record any case in which the majority was right?” How true have these words become in an era that cancels people for believing in science, biology, and genetics.
I met my wife at Medical School, although before she condescended to date me, she spent 3 years shaking her head sadly every time she saw me, before taking me on as a humanitarian project, which remains ongoing. She conducted a series of cruel social experiments to induce me to do better at Medical School, and they actually worked! Most importantly, the sublime experience of being married to an amazing wife, and observing her miraculous mothering skills, has inspired me to inspire others to admire women, wives, mothers, and marriage. In these crazy times that seek to politicise gender differences, masculinity, and healthy sexuality, I feel passionate about delivering this message: men and women have made love and happiness together for millennia. Love and sex should be magical and joyful. There is a miracle in every marriage that endures the vicissitudes of life and family.
Research evidence points to the undeniable truth that it is relationship success that is the key to human happiness. As an award-winning and passionate teacher, I hope to teach others how better to manage their relationships and find their path to happiness. It is my belief that my career success has been built on my ability to take care of others, and it is the important lessons gained from decades of medical practice and leadership that I wish to share. After all, isn’t it ironic that relationships are the human key to happiness, yet so few of us are taught the basics of human relationship management? I hope to help others by writing and podcasting on simple approaches that will make everyone a better wife/husband/friend/parent. One of my driving philosophies is that everything becomes easier if someone teaches you how to do it, and that’s what I want to do for others. There is an evidence-based science to managing other people, and teaching this is the basis of my writing.
I am a dual specialist in Endocrinology and Geriatric Medicine. My experience managing couples with hormonal issues, and taking care of elderly patients, has taught me many lessons and amusing stories that I wish to share. As an award-winning medical leader, Hospital Director and Head of a large public hospital Department, I have learned much about humility, humanity, and the pursuit of happiness.
My favourite hobbies are spending time with my wife and family, playing tennis, keeping fit, doing stand-up comedy, and finding creative ways to avoid exhausting myself with excessive housework.