I’m Inspired by 3 quotes as I write a piece on freedom (for a campaign on gender-equality) this morning… Why is gender-equality still an issue?
“If there’s poison in a glass of water, no one says, ‘be careful, the middle of that water is poisoned…”
– Jon Acuff
None of us can claim to have perfect perspectives on anything. We see the world through flawed, often subjective lenses. Even if we are 99 percent right, there’s that 1% that could make all the difference. And yet, we confidently chose to hang our lives on ‘the known’…
“Truth is a glorious but hard mistress. She never consults, bargains, or compromises.”
–A.W. Tozer
In issues such as gender-quality, our default is ‘the known’: ‘norms’ passed down to us by culture, family, role models. we accept these and often never question the validity of these ‘norms’.
In exploring the causes of the gender-inequality we see today, here are some points to ponder:
We are created different, but we are created equal in value.
We embrace different roles. That is a wonderful thing, especially when we embrace specific roles based on our abilities, strengths and passion. And when we do so with consent, having freedom to make the choice ourselves.
The problem comes when freedom is not an option – when it is not the platform from which one can freely choose his/her roles.
Or when we begin to assign value to different roles and create a hierarchy that says one role is better than the other (such as ‘working in an office is better than cooking for family’).
What do I believe is true? Can I believe it without ‘consulting, bargaining, or compromising?’
Which brings me to the third quote I’m pondering today –
“A sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on.”
–CS Lewis
It is only in searching for and discovering the root of our belief/value system, understanding it, wanting to change it, and then actually living the change that we discover the way we were designed to live.
Embracing truth, championing freedom, valuing roles equally lead to love and respect.
~shini abraham, ©2014, duco divina – contemplative doodling
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