Another zinger! Brava, Natalia. I learn so much from you. Thank you for speaking up. As you say, it's not as critical whether one agrees with you or not, it's taking time to put some critical thinking toward these topics.
One small thing I can add right now, as an example from my own life:
At age 42, I realized it was my last chance to try to have a biological child. Needless to say, it was hard to get pregnant, keep a baby to term, and fulfill that idea.
I ultimately chose not to push, and to accept my life as a nurturing, creative woman without her own child.
Yet, it became starkly clear to me that I, and generations of women, had been and are being manipulated or daresay subtly brainwashed into not getting pregnant, period. Not having children. Doing anything to avoid pregnancy as a teen or young woman, without having any choice offered by culture, school, etc. but to work and make a career. No encouragement to explore and discover the type of natural inclination we'd have had, given choice and openness.
I realized that I and millions of women since the mid-20th century have been robbed of the possibility of bearing children thru this manipulation. Only girls and young women with overpowering urges, or strong family culture, or fate, are drawn to the road of embracing natural fertility. All is thrown into the heap of productivity, independence, and the illusion of having choices, all the while hiding away any real, natural choice.
So, I hear you. I understand you. And I am also encouraged and appreciate this insight into why I myself haven't ever been drawn to exclusively women's groups or movements.
Thank you for your honest meaningful and touching contribution, Erin! What you are talking about is far from being a small thing... I also have had a similar experience, and overall, I agree that millions of women are robbed of the opportunity to make their choices and too many choices are made on our behalf. And it seems that it's getting from bad to worse. In my view, what's happening right now would have much bigger consequences for men and women than the events of the mid-20th century. That's why we need to be using every opportunity to speak our truth.
I totally agree with this and have had a similar trajectory...(I almost misspelled this as 'tragectory'). I won't get into details but I was more or less raising myself at a young age and took on a man's role in my life -- I've worked construction (better wages than domestic work or "women's work") and I played in rock bands since my 20's. In my day, female musicians were rare. I was encouraged and mentored by men and I am grateful to them for their respect. Now I have had to rediscover my place in a more authentically feminine sense, sound and mode of expression. I love children but I knew I could not afford to give them the things they deserved and needed in their childhood. This is a strange and cruel feature of the modern world. The feminine is now relegated to either a power-over Diva mentality or a sexual thing....I am bored with this. Someone wake me when it's over.
Mia, I am with you! I wash we could wake up when it's over and it seems that many people are making exactly that choice. Instead, I hope we will wake up everyone up to what's going on because the consequences are way too big.
Yes, it seems like all the consequences are lining up and getting ready to blow now...why are we so asleep? What took me so long to wake up to my own predicament? I am calling all who read this to ask themselves similar questions. It is up to us and every individual to wake up to the new world and course correct or we will not have a world to wake up to....no blame....just action....now...please...
Brava, Natalia! You do some very important work in this article. Today in western society there is an essential lack of distinction between the notion of women's 'empowerment' and women 'in power'. Successful western women know how to look at the world through masculine eyes in order to obtain standing, climb the corporate ladder, assume leadership roles within a group or even just to be 'taken seriously'. This is not women's empowerment, rather it is women serving the power structure. In fact, it seems more and more like a 'de-feminization' is going on for biological women in terms of being a 'viable candidate' for leadership roles. In contrast, we can observe the very important role of women's leadership in matriarchies. Your description of these crucial roles that keep the socio-cultural matrix in tact seem entirely absent from the modern western cultural agenda of today. What's more, very few western women are able to make this distinction for themselves -- and no wonder, if you are raised with both parents working full time how can you even imagine what it would be like to have your mother at home telling you stories, teaching you traditions; how rewarding it is to cook beautiful food for yourself and others, to make your own clothing or blankets that will be handed down to the next generation, how to work with the land, garden, observe nature?....another important inheritance that is disappearing is the gift of emotional intelligence bestowed upon younger people who have time to form bonds with the more learned women and elders. All of these historical traditions are being phased-out it seems and replaced by a more technocratic, mechanistic, non-gender-specific proletariat-style society. Most of this has happened in my lifetime but it seems to have begun after WWll. In truth, I have never met anyone who ever talked about wanting to make these changes to society. A good question to be asking then is: WHO are the individuals responsible for making these decisions? If it is not you or me actively choosing this, then there must be others making important decisions on our behalf without our consent. Is it not interesting to know that many of the world's wealthiest (therefore most powerful) have been organizing for many years to quietly self-elected positions that intercede with national and international policy-making? At a certain point in time, the responsibility falls upon every individual to know what and how cultural heritage along with our history in general, is being dismantled, rewritten or destroyed, especially when it is done in our names by those who remain in the shadows.
Thank you for your comment, Mia. You have added many valuable points, as well as food for thought. We need wide discussions on these themes because they shape the world today and the world we will leave to the future generations.
Yes, critical thinking and measured discourse about changes happening to our world are in order. It does seem like the ‘top down’ style of governance is not favored. I imagine a more co-creative and collaborative process….to follow a more natural process, as you mentioned!
good words 👍
Another zinger! Brava, Natalia. I learn so much from you. Thank you for speaking up. As you say, it's not as critical whether one agrees with you or not, it's taking time to put some critical thinking toward these topics.
One small thing I can add right now, as an example from my own life:
At age 42, I realized it was my last chance to try to have a biological child. Needless to say, it was hard to get pregnant, keep a baby to term, and fulfill that idea.
I ultimately chose not to push, and to accept my life as a nurturing, creative woman without her own child.
Yet, it became starkly clear to me that I, and generations of women, had been and are being manipulated or daresay subtly brainwashed into not getting pregnant, period. Not having children. Doing anything to avoid pregnancy as a teen or young woman, without having any choice offered by culture, school, etc. but to work and make a career. No encouragement to explore and discover the type of natural inclination we'd have had, given choice and openness.
I realized that I and millions of women since the mid-20th century have been robbed of the possibility of bearing children thru this manipulation. Only girls and young women with overpowering urges, or strong family culture, or fate, are drawn to the road of embracing natural fertility. All is thrown into the heap of productivity, independence, and the illusion of having choices, all the while hiding away any real, natural choice.
So, I hear you. I understand you. And I am also encouraged and appreciate this insight into why I myself haven't ever been drawn to exclusively women's groups or movements.
Much to chew on and consider.
Keep up your excellent work.
Thank you for your honest meaningful and touching contribution, Erin! What you are talking about is far from being a small thing... I also have had a similar experience, and overall, I agree that millions of women are robbed of the opportunity to make their choices and too many choices are made on our behalf. And it seems that it's getting from bad to worse. In my view, what's happening right now would have much bigger consequences for men and women than the events of the mid-20th century. That's why we need to be using every opportunity to speak our truth.
I totally agree with this and have had a similar trajectory...(I almost misspelled this as 'tragectory'). I won't get into details but I was more or less raising myself at a young age and took on a man's role in my life -- I've worked construction (better wages than domestic work or "women's work") and I played in rock bands since my 20's. In my day, female musicians were rare. I was encouraged and mentored by men and I am grateful to them for their respect. Now I have had to rediscover my place in a more authentically feminine sense, sound and mode of expression. I love children but I knew I could not afford to give them the things they deserved and needed in their childhood. This is a strange and cruel feature of the modern world. The feminine is now relegated to either a power-over Diva mentality or a sexual thing....I am bored with this. Someone wake me when it's over.
Mia, I am with you! I wash we could wake up when it's over and it seems that many people are making exactly that choice. Instead, I hope we will wake up everyone up to what's going on because the consequences are way too big.
Yes, it seems like all the consequences are lining up and getting ready to blow now...why are we so asleep? What took me so long to wake up to my own predicament? I am calling all who read this to ask themselves similar questions. It is up to us and every individual to wake up to the new world and course correct or we will not have a world to wake up to....no blame....just action....now...please...
So beautifully put, thank you.
Thank you, Sarah! I am happy that it resonates with you!
Brava, Natalia! You do some very important work in this article. Today in western society there is an essential lack of distinction between the notion of women's 'empowerment' and women 'in power'. Successful western women know how to look at the world through masculine eyes in order to obtain standing, climb the corporate ladder, assume leadership roles within a group or even just to be 'taken seriously'. This is not women's empowerment, rather it is women serving the power structure. In fact, it seems more and more like a 'de-feminization' is going on for biological women in terms of being a 'viable candidate' for leadership roles. In contrast, we can observe the very important role of women's leadership in matriarchies. Your description of these crucial roles that keep the socio-cultural matrix in tact seem entirely absent from the modern western cultural agenda of today. What's more, very few western women are able to make this distinction for themselves -- and no wonder, if you are raised with both parents working full time how can you even imagine what it would be like to have your mother at home telling you stories, teaching you traditions; how rewarding it is to cook beautiful food for yourself and others, to make your own clothing or blankets that will be handed down to the next generation, how to work with the land, garden, observe nature?....another important inheritance that is disappearing is the gift of emotional intelligence bestowed upon younger people who have time to form bonds with the more learned women and elders. All of these historical traditions are being phased-out it seems and replaced by a more technocratic, mechanistic, non-gender-specific proletariat-style society. Most of this has happened in my lifetime but it seems to have begun after WWll. In truth, I have never met anyone who ever talked about wanting to make these changes to society. A good question to be asking then is: WHO are the individuals responsible for making these decisions? If it is not you or me actively choosing this, then there must be others making important decisions on our behalf without our consent. Is it not interesting to know that many of the world's wealthiest (therefore most powerful) have been organizing for many years to quietly self-elected positions that intercede with national and international policy-making? At a certain point in time, the responsibility falls upon every individual to know what and how cultural heritage along with our history in general, is being dismantled, rewritten or destroyed, especially when it is done in our names by those who remain in the shadows.
This is the age of discernment, after all!
Good points! I alluded to a small example in my own comment.
Thank you for your comment, Mia. You have added many valuable points, as well as food for thought. We need wide discussions on these themes because they shape the world today and the world we will leave to the future generations.
Yes, critical thinking and measured discourse about changes happening to our world are in order. It does seem like the ‘top down’ style of governance is not favored. I imagine a more co-creative and collaborative process….to follow a more natural process, as you mentioned!