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Just me... but...
I had some thoughts...
About that thing some call...
"The battle of the sexes"...
And "women's liberation"...
And that whole realm
Of how it all should really be...
If there was such a thing... as "should."
What is the truth of this thing?
I'm sure there are some who will disagree...
But... here is how it seems to me...
A man... is survival.
He is strength and power.
His deep voice commands respect...
His strong presence comforts...
Like it or not...
He is called upon to protect.
A woman... is all that we survive for.
She is tenderness and gentleness.
She is understanding and compassion.
She has nesting instincts.
She makes a home... a home.
She is tuned in to her children
By her very nature... and her hormones...
Expressed in the way her breasts bring milk
At the sound of a baby's cry.
And... expressed in the way
That she can endure raw life
As she nurtures and tends to
The needs of her family.
Her hormones make her naturally tolerant.
But... survival... is king.
Who will have to defend the home?
Who will have to protect the family?
And thus... who should be the decider?
A woman must distort herself
To attain the state of authority
That a man gains instantly and naturally...
Like an animal that inflates itself
To make a show of dominance and power...
It doesn't wear so well
On a creature of natural tenderness.
But... a man only retains his rule
When he knows how to listen
And to nurture
The family he is called upon to protect.
His life is a think tank of leadership.
The same skills come into play.
And so... I see...
That a man's dignity is essential to him.
Dignity... gives strength.
He deserves respect.
He can mean a family's survival.
And so... too...
Does a woman deserve respect...
For her insight... her connection to life...
For her need to make a home
For herself and her babies.
It is just as important as survival...
It is what we survive... for.
Then... I thought...
Women are really coming in to their own.
What has been called "chauvinism"
Encompassing acts of care and protection
That men offer to women...
Actually enabled women
To make that next step...
That step being... genuine respect.
They can become a full partner
Now that they are allowed an intellect.
And "chauvinism"
Now becomes... a sign of respect...
Not a sign of dominance or patronizing.
Are men and women equals?
No.
They are complimentary parts of a whole.
They are not some chemistry
Of "opposites attracting."
They are not the electricity
That is generated by their friction.
They are not the ying and yang
Or the chaos and the order.
They are parts of a whole thing...
Survival...
And that which we survive for.
Each... having particular skills.
Then... I thought...
This is the story of mankind.
The struggle to survive
Has dominated our world.
Survival was imperative
For the greater part of our history.
Now... life... is being freed.
We are reaping the fruits
Of milliniums of labor...
Of struggle...
And... are realizing...
Those things that mankind survived... for.
And so... I thought...
Nothing is wasted anymore.
Both men and women
Contribute to the whole of their lives.
Both respected.
Both together...
Really, really one.
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