Creation was missing something. It was missing “woman”. God created “woman” and suddenly, His masterpiece was complete.
According to the Bible, “Woman” was formed from a rib taken out of Man. Not from his hand that she should be his slave. Not from his foot that she should be trampled upon. Not from his head that she should be his boss. She was formed from his rib, the place closest to his heart, that she might be his equal, his companion and partner in ushering an already vibrant world into true colour.
Voices started to whisper. They told “woman” that she was lesser than “man”. She was worth less. She was capable of less. She deserved less. They even put a price on her and it was far less than man’s. The voices started to snuff out her spirit. The voices broke her. Very slowly the voices conspired and found ways to snuff out her life itself. Without knowing it, creation lost it’s power and became incomplete.
But the divine breath within “woman” prevailed. She rose. She stood. She waited. She fought back with dignity. She is. She will be.
Today, we celebrate what it means to be “woman”. We celebrate the silent force that warms the world. We celebrate the warrior that stands her ground. We celebrate the hand that rocks the cradle. We celebrate the visionary that shapes the marketplace. We celebrate the softness. We celebrate the grit. We celebrate the victory. We celebrate the bravery that dares to surrender. We celebrate the sacrifice. We celebrate the “woman”. We will celebrate until the conspiring voices have been silenced and creation is complete again.
Yet, as we celebrate, let us remember the words of Dale Spender, “Feminism has fought no wars…killed no opponents…set up no concentration camps…starved no enemies…practiced no cruelty. It’s battles have been for education, for the vote, for better working conditions, for safety in the streets…for reforms in the law.”
Feminism fights for equality not for yet another skewed sense of balance.
The unbridled power within creation lies in the partnership – in the collaboration of both halves of humanity. So we shall rise. We shall pursue. We shall encourage. In unity, we shall dream the ideal into existence. Shoulder to shoulder, clothed in dignity, we shall laugh without fear of the future.
Happy international Women’s Day 2017! Do share with the women in your world.
– Melissa Domingo
8 March, 2017