Peace and Perseverance

 

    For the first time since 2004, a woman was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. And to make it a triple treat, there were actually three women given this distinct honor this year; and it could not have been given to 3 more deserving human beings.

    I simply could not let the momentum pass without singing their distinguished praises myself. I would like to introduce you to 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Honorees:

 

 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf … Ms. Sirleaf is a 72 year old Harvard trained economist. She became not only Liberia’s first female President in 2005, but the first on the entire continent of Africa. She is the reigning president and is coming up for re-election. When she took office in Liberia, she was seen as a reformer and peace maker. She was nicknamed the “IRON LADY”.

 

 Leymah Gbowee… As head of the Women’s Peace and Security Network, she was honored by the committee for mobilizing women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the war in Liberia and to ensure women’s participation in elections. Ms. Gbowee brought together Christian and Muslim women against the power of Liberia’s warlords. In addition, Ms. Gbowee has since worked to enhance the influence of women in West Africa during and after the war.

 

 Tawakkul Karman… Ms. Karman, a 32 year old mother who heads the human rights group “Women Journalists Without Chains”, has been a leading figure in protests against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. She is known among Yemeni’s as “the Iron Woman” and the “Mother of the Revolution”. The Associated Press adds that “Ms. Karman is a conservative woman fighting for change in a conservative Muslim and tribal society”.

 

 All three of these women should be commended for doing exemplary work. They should be held as an example to all women and all people everywhere. Just to further my belief that sometimes we must step up when others are stepping back. These women and their predecessors have paved the way for those that will follow; creating social awareness and a promise for the great things yet to come.

 

As a woman, I want to thank you for shining your light so brightly.

Clear Sight

 

 

Do you see me clearly? Where are you looking? Is it me you are seeing, or your idea of who I should be? Does the color of my Iris or the size of my waist determine my value in your eyes? Should we criticize some one who says she is blonde….even though she doesn’t say it is coming out of a box? If I have a large home or great job…am I then good enough for you? If my only warmth on a winter night is a trash can fire….does that make me “LESS” than you? Are you incapable of seeing what is beneath the layers? Are you unwilling to believe that all that I am cannot be found on a page? Why do we deceive ourselves into believing that we know all there is to know? How many times do you walk past the homeless person on the street, without ever wondering who they really are? Are they just homeless….or is there more? Would you be surprised to know that once he was productive, but life was unkind to him…and he is now subject to ridicule due to our inability to see outside of the proverbial box? Is he just a bum looking for the rest of us to support him, or is he more rich in character than you or I ever would be? How many times a day do you fool yourself into believing that “it would never happen to you”. How many times have you pointed the judgmental finger without even being HUMANE enough to ask WHY? If you lost everything, had no where to turn…would you then be so willing to judge him? How often do you rush past a person on a street…never making eye contact…because they have a “certain look”? Do you clinch your purse, out of fear and ignorance? Do you really believe that because you have a larger bank account that you are richer than some one who possesses less? How long will we continue to believe our own “stories’? When will we stop thinking because RIGHT NOW we have it all…that one day God won’t strip us of our worldly possessions to show us who REALLY is in control? Never say never…because YOU are not in the drivers seat. You never know what you would do, given different circumstances. Stop thinking that bad things only happen to bad people. Start seeing people clearly…and in order to do that you must see yourself clearly. Be honest, with yourself and stop believing that anyone one on this Earth owes you anything. Give Praise daily, and open your heart to those who haven’t seen compassion in a while. Spread Joy, and Love…it will always come back to you with a large dividend…..I’m just sayin.

Marked By Misogyny

Marked by Misogyny

Misogyny.

  This particular topic…I have pondered for close to a month now. It is an issue which of course affects me personally. But for those that didn’t know, or weren’t aware…misogyny is hate of women. Now I realize that this blog will cause people to stir and grumble about it. That actually is the point, and recently I realized that unless you shine light on issues…people will behave like it isn’t even there. And as I have learned when talking about injustices due to race, religious beliefs and bigotry, as a whole, people would rather it not be discussed. But since I am a woman…and it affects me directly, I am not willing to wish it away.

  There will be some people that will say that I am wrong, or that I am making something out of nothing…however, since it is hate against an entire group of people it does warrant an educated discussion.

  Women are often the scale in which manhood is decided…for instance, “you throw like a girl”, along with other various other names that men or boys are called that refer to a female or her body parts…used to demean and isolate boys or men.

  Why is it socially acceptable for women to wear garment usually termed “masculine”, such as jeans or pants…yet when a man or boy want to dress in attire termed “feminine” he is ridiculed? Why is a girl being called a “tomboy” acceptable but a boy being called girl-like…or anything similar, but not as kind…is an insult? Why is it that we make fun, or create jokes about males who are in the Ballet, nurses (instead of doctors), beauticians, or various other gender biased professions?

  I suppose that who ever started and carries on these ridiculous ideas about women…never really has a REAL woman in their life. And I say that because the strongest people I have ever known in my life…are all women.

  A woman was chosen to carry an embryo for 40 weeks and give birth to a baby weighing usually around 7-8 pounds. Why do we go to our mothers when it feels like the world is crashing down around our ears? I know men, who I find extremely masculine, that lean on their mothers when the world has gotten too heavy. How many men do you know that look for someone they can count on when seeking a wife? Would you feel like you could count on some one weaker than you?

  Let us not confuse compassion, and kindness for weakness. They are not the same thing. There have been women throughout history that have broken through barriers created by their male counterparts…which I can assure you makes them anything but weak:

1910 Alice Stebbins Wells became the first police officer in the United States…she joined the L.A.P.D.

Early 1800’s Molly Williams became the first female firefighter in the United States…coincidentally…she was also the first African-American female firefighter also.

1870 Esther Morris became the first female judge in the United States.

1917 Loretta Walsh was the first woman to enlist in the military; she joined the United States Navy.

1995 Lt. Kelly Flinn became the first female B-52 Bomber Pilot.

1849 Dr Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school.

  The female pioneers broke through some thoroughly masculine career fields…I can assure you it was not an easy task. And I am certain that like most things, they were heavily scrutinized in their every move. However it did not stop them from making the way for other great women in history and our lives.

  So the next time that you consider the weaker of the sexes…perhaps you should remember…just because you might say it… doesn’t make it so.

  It is true that women did not choose to carry children, we were created that way…but I have never spoken to a man that said he could withstand all that birthing a child entails. Remember when we are belittling the women in our society…that mean YOUR mom, YOUR grandmother, and YOUR daughter…do you really think she is the weaker sex?

 

Is Your Soul For Sale?

Is Your Soul For Sale?

  How much of yourself are you willing to sell? Can your attention, intention, or virtue be purchased? Those questions seem, insulting, don’t they? But have you ever given something of yourself, simply because you were given a gift, a job, a promotion, or even something as simple as a kiss?

  Obviously I am not talking about the black market purchasing or selling of entire bodies, or their organs…but something I consider much more serious…the selling of your inner being. The part of you that is touched by God…the inner voice that tells you…yes or no. The very core of you that says; I will never do that; or I will never let some one do that to me. It is the part of you that when watching others…you say…I can’t imagine that I would ever let myself get into that situation.

  I am sure many are tempted everyday, to let go of the very essence of who they are…even if for just a moment. And many more will do so, with the justification that the ends will justify the means. Do the ends justify the means?

  Has anyone ever offered you a gift to entice you into going on a date with them? In business, have you ever accepted a “token of appreciation” for helping some one out? Would this be termed as “a sale”? It’s pretty simple to figure out…all you have to do is ask a very simple question…why? Why would some one who hasn’t ever been on a date with you buy you a gift? And if you were to say no, would that person still want to give you the gift? Of course, it’s flattering when people want to do things for us…but is there an ulterior motive? What are the chances of you being flooded with gifts from some one who knows there is no possibility that you will date, or spend any intimate time with them? And in business, if you are doing the right thing by helping another business associate out…why would you need to be given a gift? Is it possible that by accepting the gift, the giver of the gift…will think that you may “owe” them something?

  Let’s take it a few steps further. Have you ever done anything that you know was against your personal beliefs or morals? Have you ever encouraged another person to do something, either personally or in business, that you know is something that you wouldn’t do? How many men would encourage a woman to pose in pictures wearing very little or revealing clothing…if they looked at that woman as if she was his daughter or mother? By asking her to do so, are you asking her to give up her virtue…for your own personal gain? As for the woman…are you willing to pose for that picture, because of some financial situation? Would either of you do this willfully if you had all the money you needed? So the question is posed…is your soul for sale?

  But I won’t insult you by saying that it is limited to money. Have you ever told a lie, or overlooked a situation, simply because it would allow your career to advance? Wouldn’t you consider that action, selling part of yourself? If you are an honest upstanding person, wouldn’t the implication of a lie alone be enough to send you running in the opposite direction? When is it acceptable to set your morals aside? Have you ever set aside the very ideas that you were brought up with…or sought to have…for some personal gain? In reality when a person does this, they are, in fact selling something of themselves.

  We were created from love; it is the very core of our existence. This may be the most important lesson that you ever learn in life, so it is important to pay close attention. You are created from love, but if you do not love yourself…then you can never completely give love to another person, thought, or idea. If we love ourselves, we will hold ourselves up high. We set the bar for which others will have to reach for in order to deal with us, on any level. We control who we allow into our space, by either letting them know that they either have to reach up…or we have to step down. If you step down, its like going in reverse…you are making an exception to the virtue that you should hold so dear.

  This does not mean that you are better than anyone else, but it does mean that YOU love yourself better than anyone else ever could. I always try and make the vision of what I say easy to understand. If your child was coming to you and asking you advice about this very thing, what would you tell them? Because, we as parents, rarely would tell our children to do anything that would take away from their character. Be your own child; don’t make excuses for giving away the very essence of who you are. The stakes in this life are high; don’t sell yourself short. In the end, you are held accountable for all that you have said and done in this world. Your life’s story should make a proud memoir for others to strive for, not a Greek tragedy.