This doodle was done as a prayer for women in India (those that struggle because of inequality, lack of opportunities or abuse).
International Women’s Day (March 8, every year) has been observed since the early 1900’s. Women’s oppression and inequality has sadly been part of much of our history, giving rise to the need for a day such as this. Over the years, women have raised their voices to champion change – to see women respected as equals and given every opportunity to thrive.
The brutal Delhi gang rape story that unfolded over the Christmas season disturbs me on so many levels. I cannot forget the girl who bravely survived to tell the story and then mercifully passed away a few days later. I don’t understand how the despicable criminals could stoop so low. How could they hurt a fellow human being? I ask.
Then I see: they didn’t see her as a fellow human being, a person deserving respect, an equal.
They saw her as something beneath them, something they could do with as they pleased, something they could brutally abuse and then dispose of like trash. Obviously, they weren’t worried about needing to take responsibility for their actions because they were convinced they were ‘above’ that.
While the courts and justice system could (I say ‘could’ because we still don’t know how this story will end) punish them physically for their crime, what will it take to change their diseased hearts, attitudes and belief systems that fueled their shocking behavior?
And men aren’t the only ones that treat women badly. A lot of abuse against women is woman on woman. Generations of conditioning leads to belief systems that are almost impossible to dislodge.
For example, in India where dowry deaths still happen, the violence against the bride is often instigated by the mother-in-law. Why is it that a woman who was once treated badly by her mother-in-law, chooses to let the cycle continue by abusing her daughter-in-law? Female gendercide is another big issue that betrays what women truly believe about the value of being a woman.
The horrible practice of female genital mutilation in sub-Saharan Africa and other places is another example of women acting on strong (but wrong) beliefs about women.
It is a powerful thing for a woman to believe–truly believe–that she is an equal. And proof of that lies in how she treats other women.
Treatment of women will change only when our hearts change–hearts of both women and men: core beliefs, attitudes, value systems. These are all big things.
And once our hearts change, we still have this choice to make –
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” -Philippians 2:3-4
What we believe about our origin, our identity, and destiny really matter. I believe that our identity and sense of worth can be defined only up to a certain extent by ourselves, that a Creator God is the One who set the foundation for us when He created us to be equals.
Different, but equal.
~shini abraham, ©2013, duco divina – contemplative doodling
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