Sabbaath Thoughts

It’s Sunday and so why not talk about religion on the Sabbath? 

I think about the birth of Christianity, the message of Jesus, the incredibly evangelizing of Paul and the other apostles and then juxtaposition it with the record of Christianity through the ages.  Yesterday I listened to a Reverend from South Carolina who asked how those elected to govern would swear on the Bible to serve their people but then go on to tear down the existing social safety nets while they themselves enjoyed health care among other perks free, paid for by the very taxpayers they were disenfranchising, revoking Obama care and so on; a question I have asked many times myself. I always wondered what the Popes were thinking when they started up the various Crusades, how was that following the message of Jesus who preached Love, Peace and Humbleness? A couple of days ago I flicked the channel and listened for a few minutes as some evangelicals vehemently encouraged their flock to vote Republican in order to save the country from the ravenous Left!  I was considerably surprised to hear such out and out politicking on a religious show; how naïve was I to think that “wasn’t done”?

So here’s what I am thinking about religion in general and evangelicals in particular. You get a bad rap from me, your hands are bloody and I am pretty sure that Jesus won’t recognizing the things you preach or stand for now would he in any way endorse any politician or any form of violence. I am pretty sure that Jesus would not think owning an AK15 is in line with peaceable thinking. I know he said that God sees every sparrow fall from its nest so He would not like it if people go around shooting squirrels just for the hell of it. In other words true Christians don’t shoot people or animals.

Truly spiritual people of any religious stripe know that the meaning of being one with God (or the Universe) is a peaceful relationship. Not only are you at one with God but you are at one with yourself and your fellow human beings. You have empathy for others, you know that you must keep the door open for others (literally and figuratively), you must be generous, humble, kind, grateful and forgiving. There must be love amongst you.

And it is to last for the rest of the week, not just while sitting in church of a Sunday.

God be with you.  Namaste.

School is in Session

Now that the garden is taken care of it’s time to take care of the brain. 18 months ago I abruptly stopped attending my OpenYale classes due to my little surprise illness.

I have now resumed my American Revolution course which is as apropos in today’s political chaos as it was 18 months ago. I enjoy listening to the lectures and applying the history into the world we are viewing today (in terms of American politics and their understanding of their own history – which in many cases surprises me). I set a pretty high standard of compression when it comes to history because I had some really excellent professors who set the bar.

I just finished the session on “Common Sense” and the takeaway from the lesson was two-fold; I know that Thomas Payne’s body is lost and that until the pamphlet was published the word “independence” was not bandied about!  Who knew that it was still hush-hush after the first congress? Or that John Adams simply abhorred the pamphlet as utter trash, having nothing to do with the reality of governing (as though he would know, hm?). Don’t get me wrong, I actually have a great deal of respect for John, Abigail and their son John Quincy but as yet he hadn’t had any experience of governing.

Feeling curiously aroused in scholarly pursuit I have also signed on to the Early Middle Ages course. I like this professor a lot, he is quietly amusing and I think I will enjoy his insights into the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Again, I chose this one as it also aligns very well with what we see in today’s political world. So stay tuned for my “astute observations” as I gain new enlightenment (one can always hope).

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing has happened.” Winston Churchill

Putting a Garden to Sleep

I have been scurrying around the last couple of days in dreaded anticipation of the coming snow as I put my garden to sleep.  This has been an ongoing task since the Labour Day Weekend when in years past I would have it all done in one day.  It’s not so much my lack of stamina to endure the whole day, rather it is the fact that the garden has expanded so much. While I am not a “kitsch” type person I do have a number of statues and garden ornaments that have to be put into the garden shed. Then there are the various pots that need cleaning and putting away. Then there are all the pillows and cushions to be tucked in here and there. Lastly there are the pieces of furniture that won’t survive the harsh winter weather so they must be stacked into the garage.

This year has been particularly challenging because there is also all the residue stuff from the basement flood which has yet to be resolved.  Slowly but surely we are getting there . . . or should I say I am getting there. One stool here another table there.

While all of this is going on physically, mentally I am already planning what the garden need next year and what my wants will be. A big priority will be my moonlight walk which is still a shabby little show. Next year I want to knock it out of the park. In my head I know what I want it to look like, the question is can I get the muscle power to help me make that happen?

And my not so secret wish? I want a vending cart! A vending cart, you wonder. I have this vision of a perfectly huge slatted semi-wheelbarrow-like thingy. You know what I mean? I know no man will understand but all the ladies know exactly what is in my head, am I right?  Yes, laugh out loud because John is pulling out his hair trying to understand what I mean while at the same time he is saying it isn’t going to happen.

Why do I need my vending cart? Well, I read a book (yes, the dreaded “I read a book” scenario) that talked about “at the gate” sales. Since I am out in the country, yet so very close to the golf course I get a lot of traffic and my low budget plan is to snag the unsuspecting drivers to my “farm” to purchase my bounty. In order to catch their attention I think an unusual looking cart will be just the ticket.

So yes, as I put the garden to sleep I whisper to the trees and bushes “give me lots of fruit next year, my darlings, lots of fruit.”

Freewheeling Thoughts

October was a stressful month of analyzing women’s place in the world brought on by the horrific Ford/Kavanagh hearing. I think it has been cathartic for me but wonder how useful it was for my readers to have me dwelling on such a complex and ultimately personal exploration?  However that may be I give my permission to have fun and frolic in November!

What springs first to mind as “freewheeling” is, as always, the joys of nature. I am so happy that we are experiencing some version of Indian Summer and not the horrific deadlock of winter that we seemed to get last year. My grass is still green and though the leaves have fallen off the trees it’s a pleasure to see them blowing around the ground and then being still as the wind dies down. My little Henriettas continue to make us laugh with their comical antics. Every day the game is on as one hen discovers some bug or leaf and the others decide to take it away from her. Then other one scurries away on important business and we can almost see with our naked eye the briefcase under her wing!

Christmas is rushing upon us and I have been having a lot of fun creating Christmas cards as I perfect my skills. Measuring and cutting exact is the key to a perfect card when you use straight lines so I am thinking my next set will be ovals and circles (anything for an easy life).

I have been in communication with my distant (and not so distant) cousins and I cannot tell you how rewarding it is to become acquainted with relatives who but for the joys of genealogy would be lost forever. For most people this may seem like a “given” but when you are an immigrant with only an immediate family the craving for aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents is at times almost overwhelming for a child. So yes, I reach out now with greedy heart and feel genuinely blessed that those dear cousins are like minded.

Truly, my cup runneth over.

 

 

Witches

And so we end the month on the fun note of witches. Fun?  True, for centuries wise women, later known as witches, were persecuted and indeed killed due to their knowledge of herbs and medicines even in countries without Christianity. Once the Christian church got going it became almost a mania In Europe, the panic over witchcraft was supported by the Malleus Maleficarum, published in 1487 by Heinrich Kramer, a German Catholic clergyman. It taught the persecution of witches and was greatly promoted by the new technology of the printing press. It saw 29 printings before 1669, second only to the Bible. The book says that three elements are necessary for witchcraft. These are the evil intentions of the witch, the help of the Devil, and the permission of God.

In the mid 1600’s the wave of witch burnings in England (and Europe) were dying down while the rise in witch hunting escalated dramatically in colonial America. Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is a remarkable play on the story and a recent book by Stacy Schiff “the Witches Salem, 1692” is a great documentary on how the whole story rolled out. It appears that the fear of witch craft was rampant from the beginning of the British settlements. Cotton Mather the highly influential pastor of New England wrote about a witch in 1689 and was very involved in the Salem Witch Hunts. Puritanism at its height and a deplorable representation of what religion can do to people’s common sense.

While some men were accused of witch craft it was most often women who were accused and killed. An analysis of the data appears to give strong evidence that often the underlying reasons were not so much out of fear but out of economics! 

“Heather Marsh has tied the persecution of witches to the fight of church and industry to control "the power of life and death" at a time when industry needed more workers. She also argues the persecution of witches was a fight for centralized power over the peasant rebellions and the ownership of knowledge by medicine and science which forbade the earlier teaching or practices by women and indigenous cultures. She writes that the persecution of witches has colored misogyny since the 1400s. Silvia Federici tied the witch hunts to a history of the female body in the transition to capitalism.” (Wikipedia)

The 20^th century has found ways to make witches more charming however. “Bewitched” debuted in 1964 and what little girl didn’t twitch her nose to make magic happen? “Charmed” debuted in 1998 and quickly became popular. “Practical Magic” by Alice Hoffmann was turned into the highly successful film with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. And most famous of all J.K. Rowling created the Harry Potter series which started a whole generation of adults as well as children to become in love with magic. There is a dark side to witches but these days the art of Wicca and white magic is what makes witching fun.

I think every little girl in America and Canada has been a witch at least once on Halloween – if they haven’t, how terribly sad!

So I end Women’s Legacy theme with the thought that whoever or whatever women might be one thing we all have somewhere in our souls is a little bit of magic.

“I think the best role models for women are people who are fruitfully and confidently themselves,

who bring light into the world." —Meryl Streep

What Do Women Really Want?

We are almost at the end and it’s time to do some summing up. So what do the majority of women truly want? I think we can agree first and foremost women want to be happy, they want their children to be safe, healthy and happy with opportunity for their future, they want the basic things that make life worth living. These are fundamentals and yet sadly lacking for many women around the world.

In order for things to change and to make these fundamentals more widely achieved it seems natural to assume that empowering more women in the political, business and social arenas would ensure such a result. In the “first world” countries this certainly has happened and not just because women are empowered but because men have also seen that creating equality in ALL spheres makes for a better country.

Women don’t want to castrate men nor do they want to wrest all power out of their hands; they simply want a seat at the table and they want their voices to be heard. They want EQUALITY not domination. They want control over their own destiny and their own bodies. They want to be respected as a human being not an object.

"In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders."—Sheryl Sandberg

Women Today, Around the World Part 2

Around the globe today we have women in power, some doing a wonderful job and eithers, not so much.  Angela Merkel of Germany is widely described as the most powerful woman in the world, Chancellor of Germany since 2005 and the de facto leader of the European Union.  Aung San Suu Kyi is the State Counsellor (akin to Prime Minister) of Myanmar (Burma), a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has fallen in world esteem since the genocide of the Rohinga in that country as well as the persecution of journalists. Her style of leadership has been described as imperious and "distracted and out of touch". A very sad fall from grace. 

Current or past leaders include Helle Thorning-Schmidt  of Denmark, Therese May of the United Kingdom, Christina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina, Julia Gillard of Australia, Tarja Halonen of Finland, Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and the list goes on.  The question arises again, why are women able to become leaders in other countries but not in “the greatest country in the world”? I repeat myself with the answer “religion”. Whether Americans want to accept the answer or not is up to them but my personal analysis is simply that Americans are encumbered with the veil of religious patriarchy regardless of whether they are personally religious or not.

Americans cling to their Constitution like an anchor and despite amendments (or because of amendments) the said Constitution is holding them back from evolving into a First World country. They are deluding themselves when they believe they are the greatest country in the world. The best countries in the world do not require guns to protect themselves from their neighbours; that is what a police force is for. The best countries in the world allow their women to govern their own bodies and reproductive agenda. The best countries in the world do not accept capital punishment as the best way to curb crime; in the United States they still have the highest crime rate of any country in the “western world” so the philosophy of capital punishment curbing crime is impossible to believe. The best countries in the world do not accept torture and yet the United States have Guantanamo Bay where washer-boarding is still being conducted as a means of interrogation and torture.

The United States has more churches per capita than any other country in the world and yet they do not evince much evidence of holding to the true principles of Jesus’s Golden Rule “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

“We must open the doors and see to it that the doors remain open so others may pass through them” Rosemary Brown

Women Today, Around the Globe Part 1

Let’s start with Canada and I encourage you to take a look at the link on Global Gender Gap to get all the data you want.

In 2017 Canadian women rank at 20 out of 115 countries when it comes to political empowerment compared with Norway at 4, Sweden at 8, Germany at 10, Denmark at 16, United Kingdom at 17 and the United States at a distant 96 (shocking, isn’t it?).  Is it any wonder that American women are becoming angrier every day? “Women’s unmet demand for family planning” is nil for Canada, Scandinavia and United Kingdom but at 8 for the USA (and we know this is only getting worse for “the greatest country in the world”). 

When it comes to social development Scandinavia leads the way in almost every facet. Here is one little tidbit which is very telling of the type of mindset Scandinavians have; communities in Sweden MUST clear the sidewalks immediately after any type of storm because the government knows that most women walk at least part way to their work and THEY ARE STRONG VOTERS. It is important for the politicians to keep women happy – and they do! Here in Canada we know that businesses are required to do the clearing of sidewalks and while many in downtown districts do a fairly good job there is a long way to go to give real satisfaction to pedestrians.

On a more serious note European countries are far ahead of both Canada (although I must say I am pleased with our stats) and the United States when it comes to respecting and empowering women. I cannot account for it except for one possibility and that is the fact that Americans, and to a lesser degree Canadians, are still at least nominally religious. Thus when we come to religion we have a real dilemma since those who are avowed “Christians” (I will write from the Christian point of view although much may relate to other religions as well) cannot hear anything beyond the rote of their Bible.

Before we go forward, let us go backwards. Dipping into the Bible we know that in the Gospels Jesus is depicted as a liberal man who treated women with deference and equality. Historically we know that as the Apostles went out to spread the Word into the world they were confronted by the patriarchal Greco-Roman society (as well as having to deal with the Judaic patriarchy within themselves) and therefore much of the doctrine of Christianity, over time, became predominantly patriarchal. As time went on women were thrown under the bus as men pursued their own aggrandizement in the church and out of it. A little taste of power goes a long way so here we are today.

So much for the history lesson on how religion became a male dominated world. Let us zip along to Puritan New England and put some focus on the Founding Fathers. Despite Abigail Adams plea to her husband John to “remember the ladies” as he helped write the American Constitution women were excluded from any rights by reason of their ABSENCE. John didn’t want to fight with “petticoats”. The stage was set for the continuation of female subjugation in the new republic. The misfortune continues as America relies heavily on the religious (and religion) in their political sphere.

[NOTE:  Abigail Adams was a remarkable woman for her time, or any other, and I do recommend reading her biography. I have to like any person who cannot wrap her head around the Trinity. “There is not any reasoning which can convince me, contrary to my senses, that three is one, and one three.”]

"Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation." – Abigail Adams 

http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2017/

https://sweden.se/society/gender-equality-in-sweden/

The Oldest Profession

Prostitution was first given the term “the oldest profession in the world” by Rudyard Kipling in the late 19^th century and certainly it has been around from the beginning of time. In the ancient world it was not considered a demeaning or even wicked way of living but even in many parts of the world considered sacred. It was not outlawed as it later was under Christianity in the Western World. But this is not a history lesson on prostitution but rather an indictment of how women are treated today.

I was probably a little bit peculiar as a teenager because from the time I understood what a prostitute was I thought it was wrong that it was “wrong”. I thought that women should have a right to do what they wanted with their bodies and if it meant selling it that was okay with me. What I thought was wrong was that pimps were benefitting off of these women. With the exposure of Harvey Weinstein the real story has been ripped open since the way women have been treated in Hollywood has been next door to prostitution. Less volatile but no less demeaning is how often women have been harassed in the workplace. Women have for too long been looked upon as sexual objects rather than as equal human beings. But we know this and have always known this and only now we seem to have the momentum to make great changes in that perception. Let us hope so.

Meanwhile I would like to take a few minutes to talk about the men who have for many decades taken the view that women are NOT objects but valuable citizens. I believe one of the first ones to publicly take this position was Phil Donahue way back in the mid 1970’s and I remember thinking what a great guy he was to do it. I don’t think I realized how momentous it was but I do know that I was impressed so perhaps in a way I did recognize it as a huge step. I have worked with a great many colleagues over the years and I would like to give a huge shout out to all my engineering colleagues who very definitely treated their female staff in a respectful and civilized way; much more so than my legal colleagues – MUCH MORE. Sure there was still some misogyny around but for the most part the engineers were “evolved”. They understood that the female staff had strong roles to play and we were given a lot of credit and kudos that I had never experienced in any other work place. I am really grateful and appreciative of that.

And I would also like to give a shout out to our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau because he is another individual who made a great comment after he had appointed his cabinet with many more females on board than ever before. Questioned by the journalists about these appointments he answered “because it’s 2015”. Right on!

We just need a great many more men recognize that in the 21^st century we are stepping into a Brave New World where women are going to make their voices heard in a significant way which will, we hope, bring on a great, better civilization!

“You don't have to be pretty. You don't owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don't owe it to your mother, you don't owe it to your children, you don't owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked 'female.'" —Erin McKean

An Examined Life - Part 3

Reaching this part of my thought process on why I am writing about women’s legacy I realize that I not only want to express the outrage I feel about what is happening in the world today, to women but I also want to motivate other women to see the injustices we face every day of our lives. I want to MENTOR.

I am not here to create a crowd of activists (although it would be wonderful if that happened) but I do want to make women (and men) aware that there is an imbalance in how women are perceived and treated not just in the workplace but everywhere. For too long we have simply accepted that this “is the way it is” and have sucked it up. Sure, many of us have pushed back when it came to inappropriate touching but at the same time we have allowed men to speak to us in a demeaning sort of way by letting them say “girlie”, “dear”, “love” and other things of that nature. When men became hostile to the women’s movement they didn’t change their style in the work place when it came to language, ignoring raised hands, allowing men to interrupt but not women and yet they went out of their way to be ignorant in ungentlemanly ways such as not holding the door for women, closing elevator doors in women’s faces and other defiant acts by excusing them as being against the trend of women acting like men. Oh yes, what woman hasn’t had that happen to them time and time again. Courtesy is courtesy and has nothing to do with feminism. That’s just men being assholes.

Women are expected to take the higher road but this only causes them to appear weaker and less serious about their goals and right to be at the table. An elevated or forceful voice is hysterical if you are a woman but powerful if you are a man (despite using exactly the same words!) I have never seen a more hysterical performance than that of Brett Kavanagh during his hearing but you didn’t hear that once on the media analysis!

I want to tell women that they should not be fooled by Hollywood and the powerful, respected characters on various shows. That’s Hollywood showing us the good life but it is not real and there is no better proof than the MeToo movement. In addition, as I have written in the past, I was terribly shocked to start seeing the American news reports of all the black men in America who were being shot to death, DAILY, for no apparent reason (this started for me around 2012 with the Trayvon Martin killing). For years I had been led to believe that integration was successful, happy, and DONE by watching American shows that had interracial marriages and friendships; there were many non-white news anchors and television hosts, role models like Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg. Since then I have been appalled to learn at how un-integrated the USA is and it is only getting worse.

Women need to be informed in a very meaningful way about important issues of the day. It behooves them to be educated in this way and not to think they can sit at home, live their family life and not be affected by what is happening outside their front door. They are affected every single day and so are their children. You cannot live in a bubble of denial and it is incumbent upon every single woman to take note, educate their children (boys and girls) about what is right in society, what is right as a civilization and how we treat each other (male and female) in an equal, respectful way.

We don’t have to be militant about it nor do we need to hammer anyone on the head even though sometimes that is a really powerful urge (I say with a smile but still mean it) but we can push back and we should.

"Feminism isn't about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength." —G.D. Anderson

An Examined Life - Part 2

In this mad, mad, mad world do we ever have time to pause and reflect on what we are doing? For most this seems an impossibility and yet . . . there are ways. Tiny moments in our day to day life can give us the opportunity to bitch and complain or we can be silent and reflect. Moments on our commute to and from work (if you are on a bus, not while driving when one must stay alert), taking a stroll after eating one’s lunch not only gives one exercise and fresh air but time to reflect or when you prepare for bed, take a little time to yourself and just muse on what has happened that day or deeper into what you are doing with your life . . . or whatever strikes your fancy but that is reflective of YOU.

For those who want to dig deeper than those “tiny moments” I do recommend reading some books by women who are successful but who question their success and so analyze their steps up the ladder. Some excellent books include “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, “The Power of Why” by Amanda Lang and “The Power of Focus for Women” by Fran Hewitt and Les Hewitt. And of course “Good & Mad” by Rebecca Traister.  In “the Power of Focus” I found a great deal of common sense and a good sense of humour were key ingredients to living a good life with less stress. In “Lean In” I found that not being shy about speaking up was key to becoming a leader. As well it was key to not be afraid to simply step up and start doing what needed to be done. From taking some personalities tests I also realized that women need to stop being what they call “Believers” and think that they will be recognized by their work. Women MUST speak up and illustrate to their bosses what they have been doing because otherwise it is just assumed things are running smoothly because of THEIR leadership. Women need to be more vocal and less demure.

The question is “do you want to be a leader”? A leader doesn’t have one look so women don’t need to be afraid to take on a more prominent role in their own life. I remember a wonderful line in “The Holiday” when Eli Wallach tells Kate Winslett she needs to be the leading lady in her own life. That really resonated with me.

Arthur: You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.

Iris: You're so right. You're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god's sake!

As one matures it is to be hoped that confidence also grows but in reading Sheryl Sandberg’s book (which I read several years ago when it first came out in 2013) I was surprised to find someone so talented and accomplished still has insecurities about her competence and even right to be “at the table”. Coupled with the insights gained from “Good & Mad” I now know that despite what our parents might have told us about being able to do anything we want to do once we get into the work place we discovered it is DOMINATED, and I mean DOMINATED in every possible way by men both visibly and invisibly. Furthermore many women who have reached leadership heights are more focused on fitting in with the male version of leadership and therefore look at other women as rivals rather than colleagues who need to be mentored upwards. It is amazing to realize that women can be their own worst enemies.

Amanda Lang writes in her book about styles of thinking and advises that we not assume that others think the same way we do. We are not encouraged in school to have diverse thinking; instead we are given the one-question, one-answer paradigm. I very clearly recall having a major dispute with my grade 12 English teacher when I said that I had “pity and contempt” for Tess. Mr Scalletta was appalled that I had contempt because in 1971 we were supposed to have washed away those 19^th century Victorian principles. He didn’t allow me to explain the reason for my contempt was not because she became a “fallen woman” but because she was so clueless as not to read the signs of the seducer! That was MY 20^th century knowledge coming into play. I rebutted him in a paper I did comparing Tess to Jane Eyre and got an A. Vindication!

Examine your life and your motives and always ask “why”. Leaders are mentors, thinkers and questioners and there is no reason why you cannot fulfill your true potential. Listen to others and Live Your Best Life.

“In order to properly understand the big picture everyone should fear becoming mentally clouded and obsessed with one small section of truth” Xun Zi

An Examined Life - Part 1

As I reflect on other lives and research this subject of “women’s legacy” I ask myself, and my family asks of me “why are you doing this”?  Good question and I wish I had a good answer other than “it seemed like a timely theme” given this maelstrom we call the world today.

But it has given me pause to question my motives beyond that “good idea at the time” quip. I spent the summer writing humorously about my childhood and teenage years while externally I was become more and more angry with the way things were evolving with that whole Ford/Kavanagh incident. By the time I had completed the September theme of “Infamous Diary” I was at a boiling point at the treatment of women today. If I didn’t write about it I thought I would explode somewhere less appropriate. And as “luck” would have it I was watching other programs and hearing other women expressing a lot of the same emotions I was feeling. And along came Rebecca Traister and her book “Good & Mad” which will make any righteous person good and mad at the treatment of women in America. But we can to some extent say this treatment has and is being done around the world although probably not to the disgusting degree it is in America.  Case in point, Marie Curie was never treated with the respect she deserved in her adopted country of France during her lifetime. Only when she was traveling abroad did France realize she was not showing off any French honours (because she didn’t have any) and they suddenly wanted to give her some award or other. She declined. (Good on her). Now if an amazing woman like Marie Curie could not be honoured by the good old boys . . . who the else stands the heck of a chance?

I wrote earlier about women being between a rock and a hard place when it came to their decision to choose between motherhood and a career however when it comes to achievement then women are really between the devil and the deep blue sea. The devil being “man” and the deep blue sea being the chasm of hollowness in any achievement due to the tepid way it is acknowledged by said devil. Women who continue to go their own way are intrepid warriors who have to work harder than any man to be acknowledged in any way; for her to achieve at the highest level she has earned it ten times over. Saying that, and believing it with all my heart, I feel that men ought to go down on their knees in thankfulness, admiration, humility and also in pleading forgiveness.

Dear Readers – to clarify when I say “man” or “they” I am talking about a collective that has the power to make or break a person. I am not picking on “man” in general or “they” in general although those who I AM picking on are anonymous as well despite their power. Media, journalists, academies, professional clubs and so forth remain almost exclusive when it comes to recognition of one kind or another.

“... now I know how to take a deep breath and keep my hand up. I have learned to sit at the table.” Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In pg 38