Feminism Reconsidered

Feminism reconsidered!

This entry is essentially about two women. One woman whom I know is quite remarkable in the sense that she has an unbelievable capacity to endure pain. I know of a time when her husband’s life was in tremendous peril as he was intensely suffering from a sickness that could mean his death at any moment – and she was fully aware of the perils ahead of her. But the stoical way in which she bore all uncertainties and the tremendous support that she was to her husband is really remarkable.

Her main gift, as I said earlier is the tremendous capacity to endure pain. That makes her truly courageous for she never seems scared of the future. Her worship of god is essentially one out of devotion and scarcely directed towards seeking favours from God. Being so courageous, she scarcely feels the need to hurt or wound others. She is generally affable and has a pleasant nature and is generally friendly to all who approach her. She does not view conversation as a jousting event: not as an opportunity to slash or nick an opponent and seek a reconfirmation that she is on the top. She views conversation as an opportunity to exchange pleasant vibes and generally spread a cheerful air. She is just not an intellectual type and lays more stress on feelings. And the feelings she likes to surround herself with, is not one of antagonism, anxiety, competitiveness, or rancour. All she seeks is pleasantness and warm feelings, and in seeking it for herself, she also doles it out to others. She is not a feminist, but she is not subservient to the male ego either. I have seen her react to certain imperious men who are given to volatile tempers with a sense of gravity and firmness that leaves the cantankerous attacker, who is much older and demands that ‘age be respected’, quite speechless. This has happened so often, that the latter has a respect and regard for her now.

Contrast this with the other woman. She is the typical feminist. There is nothing wrong in feminism. It is definitely needed to emancipate women who have been trounced all these years. But the typical feminist applies her feminism without discretion. She uses the guarantees that are sanctioned by civilized society to attack men who need not be attacked at all. She does not dare to use her feminism when she is sure she is going to be thrashed for such an attitude. She is basically a coward who masquerades as a pioneer. She neither has the energy nor the spirit to break the unjust shackles of the society to clear the forests of ignorance for the advancement of humanity. If she loves a man, she does not have the guts and the gumption to tell him about it. If a man declares his feelings, she does not have the ruddy blood to reciprocate. She is scared. She trembles to let her guard down. She is cold. She is distant. She may make pretenses to relate. If you pick up the cue and put forward a proposal of trust, she is jittery. Yet give her a chance in civilized society, she never misses the chance to hurt or wound. A woman without the spirit of love and filled with fear – an unpleasant coward who uses the guarantees of society as a shield while (accosting!) a man who comes unarmed, for an interaction.

We have men who are such cowards too! Ask them to enter a really rough place where things can get really nasty. They use their ‘thinking’ to stay away. They play it ‘safe’ and scarcely take risks that could be life threatening. They are scared of pain. They are scared of true suffering. How do you expect such men to be lovers when they are like the woman of the second type. It would be interesting to leave such men in the dense jungles of Arunachal and see their watery spirit trickle through their bottoms, even as they use the same watery spirit, heated to a boiling temperature, to scald others who are unwilling to wound. They know that physically they are weaklings. But some physically weak men can be tremendously courageous too. But this type even lacks courage and he knows it. Knowing that he is weak and a funk when it really counts, he turns a ‘thinking’ type rather than a ‘feeling’ type – one who feels the necessity to joust, when a partner tries to converse!