The Enemy Within

We live in a world where some members of our species thrive at the very top of the food chain while others crawl through the very lowest levels of nightmarish realities.  Why is it that having been given so much we are the only species which actively tortures, maims, slaughters and oppresses its fellow members?

The entire history of our civilization is not based on the good which we have done nor the wonder of our capacity to love nor our limitless courage and resilience and definitely not our unbounded creativity.  It is largely based on our vices: greed, avarice, jealousy, laziness, gluttony, arrogance, cruelty, selfishness and above all fear.

Women’s Rights

We  live in a society which is very concerned with the rights of the individual, especially the rights of women.  While the tendency to desire that  our girls are treated equally and afforded the same rights  and opportunities as our boys is quite understandable and necessary, I believe that we are failing in one crucial aspect of this pursuit:  the definition of being a woman.

Following the conversations and arguments about the rights of women we come across two general strains of thought:  1. the woman is the weaker of the two sexes, is disempowered and so needs to be protected and taken care of and 2. the woman is a strong empowered individual who can stand on her own and does not need to be handled with kid gloves.  But which is she really?

Being me

What does it mean to be you?  Whenever we are unsure of ourselves, we are told to just be ourselves, or do what feels natural to us.  But this is not as easy as it sounds.

At our birth we resemble a blank page.  Those of us who believe in reincarnation may argue otherwise, but even the reincarnated do not remember their previous lives.  So technically they are a blank page as well. It is just like hitting the new page button in Microsoft word…you lose nothing, just gain a blank page.

Are they watching?

In today’s society,individuals who aren’t afraid to be who they are and stand out are labelled as strong and confident; traits to be emulated.  Children are taught that they must possess self assuredness and that will attract others to them as friends.  At work individuals are encouraged to dress, act and function in the manner desired by their employers and peers, and are constantly being asked asked the question, ‘Are you a (insert employer’s name here) man/woman?’  In a world which values social interaction and the compliance of the individual to a set path in this hamster wheel we call the 21st Century, how is an individual supposed to be himself/herself?

Why speak?

In life, we are always told that we must be strong and  count the blessings in our lives.  We must stop to smell the roses and appreciate all that is good and fair in the imagined sphere that is our world.  And most of all we must never be whiners, complainers and spoiled brats.  But what if being any of those, for just a moment is all we need to get us moving again?