Every once in awhile one has an epiphany, it suddenly hit me last week while serving jury duty. It was going to be a trial concerning domestic violence, a situation that occurs far to often in today’s society.
The defense attorney , a woman , was defending an African -American male accused of pushing his girl friend, a misdemeanor charge. Dancing around the race and gender ,issue the attorney asked in a roundabout way if gender or race would be an issue.
Suddenly , out of nowhere, a couple of women from the pool of possible jurors engaged in the typical diatribe about how society had gotten past the stereotype of women remaining barefoot and pregnant and their place was in the home.
It became apparent that in their minds at least, anyone who thought that was someone whose thought process was still in the 1950’s, and was very judgmental, narrow minded and sexist.
Being someone who has lived through all of this, that statement is preposterous. I realize that years ago, many opportunities that are available for women today didn’t exist. During the last several years women have been able to have careers and enjoy other lifestyles than were previously unavailable to them.
Many of these opportunities came about because often times men were forced to step aside and denied jobs based on gender.This is a fact. During these times, if a man, or woman voiced an opinion other than the popular thought of the day, they were shouted down and embarrassed, not only by friends and acquaintances, but by the media as well.
In reality, there is nothing wrong if a woman wants or needs to have a career.In today’s world many women need to have a career in order to support their children because of divorce and other factors. There is nothing wrong with this, if that is what they want to do then do it.
However, not all women want to work, the feminists need to realize that not everyone thinks like them or have the same desires in life. If a woman doesn’t want to work outside the home, or if a husband doesn’t want his wife to work, that doesn’t delegate them to Neanderthal status.
It is a matter of personal choice, and in many ways it is the natural order of things. In nature , men are the providers and women are the caretakers, that is the way we were designed. I know I am going to be criticized heavily for this and probably be called every name in the book by open minded liberals, but it is true.
In the process of trying to make everyone equal and the same, society has created a monster. In today’s world, many men are afraid to be men, and women are afraid to be women. Often times people of both genders are lead to believe they have to accept a lifestyle they don’t want, just because it is the popular thing to do.
Being a parent, especially a mother, is the most important occupation in the world. A parent’s main responsibility is to mold their children into responsible citizens of the future. Their job is to instill a value system that will lead them to a happy and successful life, this is a responsibility that shouldn’t be left to a baby sitter or daycare. Neither one, regardless of how good and well intentioned they are, will teach your child the values and morals you have. Many of today’s world and national problems lead back to the fact that children are raising themselves.Maybe people need to decide if they want a career or children, if you want, desire, or need both, you must remember that raising your children comes first.
In today’s world, many opportunities are open to people of all social categories, it is your choice as to which one you choose, but I believe it is important to decide what one gives up to accomplish your goals, there are choices, but with choices come responsibility and sacrifice. Often times the high paying and prestigious careers are only attained by sacrificing something from your personal life, only you can decide if it is worth it.
Only you can decide, not some bureaucrat or news commentator. You have to decide if the sacrifices you are making is worth it, and if it comes as a detriment to your family and children.In the end family is still the most important part of our lives and children need both their parents.
But you are the only one who can decide if the sacrifice is worth it.
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The author has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, as well as studying native cultures.
His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.
He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America as well as the aborigines of Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.
He has published several books about his adventures.
For more information, please consult his website,www.journeysthrulife.com.
Your comments are welcome
There is an extreme shortage of common sense in today’s world, When looking back in history, I soon discovered this has always been a problem, Benjamin Franklin once said, ”Of all the senses, common sense seems to be the one that is used the least.” As obvious as it may seem, many seem to be totally oblivious to it. Most, if not all of the problems the world faces today could be solved if people would just sit back and think about what would seem to be the most obvious and simple solution to any issue. Often times people tend to overcomplicate the issues. I often think back to what my parents and grandparents believed and said, at the time I thought they were totally out of their mind and ignored it. I now wish I would have listened and followed their advice. It is now evident they were a lot smarter than we gave them credit for. Many times, in today’s world, the schools and universities can no longer be counted on to teach truth and values that will guide someone through life.
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Thinking Between the Lines 