I may offend some people in saying what will follow but I assure one and all that isn’t my intent……as you read though one notable exception exists.
Various topics arise over time, some become fluid based on a truth, while others do not-the one I would like to address is that of matriarchy.
A lot is being said about the virtues of matriarchal societies and the evils of patriarchal ones-somewhere in all this the understanding is being lost that gender in itself is no guarantee of integrity or ability.
I’ll qualify that by saying that patriarchal rule has failed miserably-but will also refer to a point stonefeather made in their blog regarding the Kayapo nation of Brazil who are being evicted from their ancestral home along with other indigenous peoples as the result of a hydroelectric dam that is projected to be the third largest in the world.
This forced relocation will effect an estimated 40,000 people, who will not only have their dwellings demolished, but will also lose access to their spiritual sites, their land, communities, and the place where their ancestors lay.
The current president of Brazil is Dilma Rousseff, a woman, who took office on January 1, 2011 and exhibits the same heavy handed approach that is characteristic of patriarchy.
I have never advocated for the ascendency of men over women, or women over men-what I have, and will continue to advocate for is the existence of state of equality and mutual responsibility.
In that I am an equalist- and I say that both and women should be recognized for their strengths and weaknesses,
encouraged in developing their full potential, and in doing so strike a balance.
Gender in itself should not be an entitlement to lead in my opinion-I know both men and women who I consider to be unfit for such a role. Anyone following the conflict in Syria and the actions and spending habits of Assad’s wife Asma-the so called Rose of the Desert, can see the point I make.
No one can dispute that there are women, and have been women, in positions of tribal leadership who are and have been just as conniving and corrupt as their male counterparts-nor can the same be denied on the local, state, national, or international level.
Nor can anyone dispute that women have also abused and neglected their children. I don’t pretend to say on the same scale that men have, but the rate of increase is cause for alarm.
And although I was initially enthusiastic about Rousseff’s election and thought it bode well for all people, her record to date has dampened my enthusiasm.
Matriarchy, both historically and presently is not the cobbled together version expounded by Russell Means that is episodic in it’s repetition of lunar cycles and the words wow and caveman-he’s attempting to “own” it just as any politician does a issue and insert himself as an authority, much as he has done with every other topic he has addressed over the years-and predictably the same as it is with those other topics, failing miserably.
If the current hot button topic were dwarves, elves, and leprechauns he would be speaking of those with the same feigned fervor and attempting to own them as well. Russell’s own reset button-his own etch a sketch version ala Romney.
I would encourage one and all who have an interest to spend a little time researching the subject-particularly among the various nations and how they approached it.
Whether or not a true balance and equality can ever be achieved is open to question-but I believe it is something to strive for, and if practiced and nurtured in the home as a starting point has the potential to grow.
An important tool in achieving this is to instill the values of equality, respect, and personal integrity in our children-with the mess we have made it may fall to them.
There is nothing wrong with women being women and men being men-neither should attempt to control or usurp the other though-what defines this is character, or the lack of it.
I think rather than making a mantra of words like patriarchy and matriarchy we would be better served if we said things like unity, equality, mutual respect, and common goals, and in saying them meant it and worked to that end.
We are elemental beings-life forms that contain shared genetics with other species, minerals and elements to be found in the environment, all of which speaks to an interconnectedness and dependency.
Bias, and any form of oppression should be viewed as counterintuitive, counterproductive, yet they seem to be in ascendency and the divisions they create are obvious.
It is an easy thing to say we are all related, sounds good too, but speaking and believing are two different things. For those like Russell Means who work this phrase for all it is worth I say if they did believe it is so they too would feel the same pain as the families of Annie Mae and Ray Robinson, and in doing so pursue justice for them wholeheartedly and in like manner.
The proof is, as they say, in the pudding, and I liken it to the parent who says do as I say and not as I do, who in their own arrogance fail to understand that a child learns more by example than contradictory statements-or celebrities who feel a different standard applies to them.
Men and women were created for a reason, I am of the opinion that we as human beings cannot improve the design or the intent-what we can improve is the way we go about things and understand neither could exist without the other.That single fact alone merits respect and nurturing.
People are not possessions-we may possess the heart when given freely but this act of giving should be recognized as a gift, not a right.
Too many people-both men and women abuse themselves-in such a climate it is difficult to expect them not to abuse others.
If they haven’t enough respect for themselves it is doubtful anyone else will-that is a reality that needs to be addressed as part of the solution-until it is the question of whether we are sentient beings is open to debate.
Cultures are defined by the values they hold and the traditions they maintain- a part of the problems the nations face are directly related to the adoption of external values and the decline in tradition they produce-talking about them them isn’t enough-our culture, our traditions, our value systems, must find full time residence in our hearts, they must be lived even when no one is looking-they should not be viewed as marketable selling points or a persona to put on and off like an article of clothing.
I have expressed opinions I hold-in doing so I make no assertion that they are either absolutes or the only viable ones available- I welcome both opposing views and any necessary corrections.
http://news.yahoo.com/eu-imposes-sanctions-assads-wife-relatives-122126856.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2010/10/29/f-brazil-dilma-rousseff.html
www.cnn.com/2012/03/21/politics/campaign-wrap/index.html
