Daily Om is one of favorite publications - their thoughtful wisdom gives me perspective on 'everyday' life. My good friend Vanessa sent this to me the other day and thought it would be perfect to share with others...
Thoughtful Conclusions About Commitment: Deciding Whether To Marry
Though we may make many commitments throughout our time on earth, few have a lifelong impact on the path our lives will take. The decision to marry someone you love—to bond yourself to them completely—is unlike any other and can reshape your existence. When two people have similar goals, values, and needs, marriage can result in a lifetime partnership of love and respect, shared laughter and tears, friendship, and intimacy that is ultimately fulfilling. Love is often cited as the sole prerequisite of a strong and stable married life. However, the decision to get married should be made with the mind and the soul as well as with the heart. Carefully considering whether you truly want to get married, both individually and as a couple, can ensure that if you do choose to marry, your relationship can grow to unimaginable depths.
The decision-making process you employ to determine whether you should marry should be a thoughtful and honest one in which you appraise not only your partner but also yourself. Consider that love and attraction do not guarantee long-term compatibility. If your relationship is not secure, marriage will not make it so. Likewise, if your partner is not as attentive, loving, or kind as you would like, your becoming spouses will not change that. Marriage has no power to permanently fill any emotional or spiritual gaps in your life. Before you choose to marry, ask yourself whether you and your partner are adept at resolving conflict, can speak openly to one another, and fully respect one another. Your attitudes regarding the nature of marital commitment, children and child rearing, and marital roles may be the same or they may differ. It is your shared responsibility to discuss your similarities and come to agreements regarding your differences that will predict how successful yo!
ur future marriage will be. Often times, younger couples rush into marriage just for the wedding dress, the ring, the party, and honeymoon. Would you still be willing to be married if you couldn’t have these things?
Remember that planning a wedding is simple when compared to the intricacies of nurturing a marriage. The honeymoon and nesting period will eventually wear off, and what you are left with is a partner for life. When you work together with your partner, reassure and support one another, and are honest about your feelings regarding marriage, you’ll come to the right decision.
http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2009/18644.html
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
When Will Women Truly Be Equal? By Chris Williams
It seems strange that the biblical story of Adam and Eve blames Eve for Adam’s fall from grace. I say that because, if I were God, I’d get rid of Adam and keep Eve. She had the courage, foresight, wisdom, and tenacity to pursue what most societies encourage all of their constituents to pursue: knowledge. Adam was just too stupid to question God’s commandment, which would relegate him to little more than a species above non-thinking animals; one with little to no knowledge, and the lack of a will to even gain knowledge. It’s this ridiculous story that somehow has infected the western world (and certain orthodox Mideastern religious sects) with a belief that women have value only in so far as how well they reproduce and at the same time please their mate. A man commits adultery and it’s just boys will be boys. A woman commits adultery, and she’s a slut.
It’s also interesting to note that in the BC era, up through the 19th century, women were often society’s healers. They were the ones who used herbs and plants in the treatment of various ailments. The irony here lies especially during the Plague years of Western Europe. Quite often it was the women healers (whom the Catholic Church branded as instruments of Satan) and midwives whom were the first the villagers turned upon and in many cases, even those who had used their services (usually secretly), branded as devil worshipers and witches. Many of these women were put to death. Again, irony... the very women who might be able to help the sick were now dead or banished, leaving no one with advanced medical experience to deal with a growing population of sick and dying people.
Referring back to the above story of Adam and Eve, one has to note how similar the Old Testament is to Greek mythology (and many others as well). Just as Zeus bound Prometheus to a rock for eternity for giving man fire (light), the Old Testament god punished Adam and Eve for pursuing knowledge. Why? Because in both myths, when humans gained more and more power (light, knowledge, wisdom) they became threats to the god(s) that made them. This whole concept seems to spill over into organized religion and government politics (not much difference between the two). The less knowledge each’s constituents have, the more easily they can be controlled and manipulated.
Women, I think, have always been the biggest potential problem for organized political bodies and have therefore been branded with the idea that they are emotionally and physically weak, horrible problem solvers in the political arena, and intellectually inferior to men. Even in the developed world… what % of Fortune 500 companies are headed by women? How many women bishops, cardinals, or popes? What % of women are leaders of their country? The answer to all of these questions is that women are almost insignificant in number and, in most cases, women are treated as an insignificant but necessary part of society (child bearing, husband pleasing, and family unity).
We would like to hear your thoughts on the topic. Why is it that women are, in many countries, second class citizens? Who is to blame?
It’s also interesting to note that in the BC era, up through the 19th century, women were often society’s healers. They were the ones who used herbs and plants in the treatment of various ailments. The irony here lies especially during the Plague years of Western Europe. Quite often it was the women healers (whom the Catholic Church branded as instruments of Satan) and midwives whom were the first the villagers turned upon and in many cases, even those who had used their services (usually secretly), branded as devil worshipers and witches. Many of these women were put to death. Again, irony... the very women who might be able to help the sick were now dead or banished, leaving no one with advanced medical experience to deal with a growing population of sick and dying people.
Referring back to the above story of Adam and Eve, one has to note how similar the Old Testament is to Greek mythology (and many others as well). Just as Zeus bound Prometheus to a rock for eternity for giving man fire (light), the Old Testament god punished Adam and Eve for pursuing knowledge. Why? Because in both myths, when humans gained more and more power (light, knowledge, wisdom) they became threats to the god(s) that made them. This whole concept seems to spill over into organized religion and government politics (not much difference between the two). The less knowledge each’s constituents have, the more easily they can be controlled and manipulated.
Women, I think, have always been the biggest potential problem for organized political bodies and have therefore been branded with the idea that they are emotionally and physically weak, horrible problem solvers in the political arena, and intellectually inferior to men. Even in the developed world… what % of Fortune 500 companies are headed by women? How many women bishops, cardinals, or popes? What % of women are leaders of their country? The answer to all of these questions is that women are almost insignificant in number and, in most cases, women are treated as an insignificant but necessary part of society (child bearing, husband pleasing, and family unity).
We would like to hear your thoughts on the topic. Why is it that women are, in many countries, second class citizens? Who is to blame?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
