| Commentary and Philosophy Non-Fiction posted May 4, 2009 |
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Equal - Define It
The Same Kind of Different
by Annmuma
Are all Men/women created equal? Contest Winner
When I read the contest requirements and premise, my initial thought was of a mid-1950's segregation chant: Separate but Equal. Those of us Southerners who considered ourselves most liberal were apt to sign on for that babble. We were looking for common ground, somewhere between the Ku Klux Klan and those preaching miscegenation.
To judge a man by his skin color says more about the adjudicater than the subject. Today, society as a whole has grown to know that truth. Accepting equality between men and women offers the same pitfalls. The knowing we aspire to might be compared to learning the multiplication tables. As a six-year-old, I knew that two times two equaled four. My teacher told me so and I accepted that knowledge as truth. I memorized all of the multiplication tables and could recite them error free. Then one day, while playing jacks, I separated the jacks for my "two-sies" and two sets of two equaling four crystallized in my mind. Suddenly, I knew that fact. It wasn't an abstract truth or something someone told me. It was a part of my knowing.
The best of us are reaching toward the place where we know the person is not the container, but rather the soul and the mind temporarily housed there. Most of us travel rocky paths in our quest for understanding. Among the pitfalls is religion, all religions. Too many of us are willing to let someone else do the research, interpret the findings and tell us what God wants us to know. It's easier in the short run, but faith, knowledge and the peace that passes understanding are worth the price paid in self-study.
There are women willing to march in demand of equal pay for equal jobs. Others stand and fight for the right to stand and fight. Some cringe when the door is opened for them, while a similar number expect special consideration simply because their bodies house the womb. Weak men fear powerful women as a challenge to their masculinity. Frightened people are willing to subjugate or be subjugated based on a biased scripture interpretation.
Are men and women created equally? The answer can only be yes unless we are willing to believe souls come in levels of superiority. Minds, souls and abilities do not have gender. We may be limited by the body we occupy, but not by our Creator. Cultures, religions, individual circumstances dictate our environment and affect our sagacity, not our equality. There may be a male and female experience, but not a male and female disparity.
When I read the contest requirements and premise, my initial thought was of a mid-1950's segregation chant: Separate but Equal. Those of us Southerners who considered ourselves most liberal were apt to sign on for that babble. We were looking for common ground, somewhere between the Ku Klux Klan and those preaching miscegenation.
To judge a man by his skin color says more about the adjudicater than the subject. Today, society as a whole has grown to know that truth. Accepting equality between men and women offers the same pitfalls. The knowing we aspire to might be compared to learning the multiplication tables. As a six-year-old, I knew that two times two equaled four. My teacher told me so and I accepted that knowledge as truth. I memorized all of the multiplication tables and could recite them error free. Then one day, while playing jacks, I separated the jacks for my "two-sies" and two sets of two equaling four crystallized in my mind. Suddenly, I knew that fact. It wasn't an abstract truth or something someone told me. It was a part of my knowing.
The best of us are reaching toward the place where we know the person is not the container, but rather the soul and the mind temporarily housed there. Most of us travel rocky paths in our quest for understanding. Among the pitfalls is religion, all religions. Too many of us are willing to let someone else do the research, interpret the findings and tell us what God wants us to know. It's easier in the short run, but faith, knowledge and the peace that passes understanding are worth the price paid in self-study.
There are women willing to march in demand of equal pay for equal jobs. Others stand and fight for the right to stand and fight. Some cringe when the door is opened for them, while a similar number expect special consideration simply because their bodies house the womb. Weak men fear powerful women as a challenge to their masculinity. Frightened people are willing to subjugate or be subjugated based on a biased scripture interpretation.
Are men and women created equally? The answer can only be yes unless we are willing to believe souls come in levels of superiority. Minds, souls and abilities do not have gender. We may be limited by the body we occupy, but not by our Creator. Cultures, religions, individual circumstances dictate our environment and affect our sagacity, not our equality. There may be a male and female experience, but not a male and female disparity.
To judge a man by his skin color says more about the adjudicater than the subject. Today, society as a whole has grown to know that truth. Accepting equality between men and women offers the same pitfalls. The knowing we aspire to might be compared to learning the multiplication tables. As a six-year-old, I knew that two times two equaled four. My teacher told me so and I accepted that knowledge as truth. I memorized all of the multiplication tables and could recite them error free. Then one day, while playing jacks, I separated the jacks for my "two-sies" and two sets of two equaling four crystallized in my mind. Suddenly, I knew that fact. It wasn't an abstract truth or something someone told me. It was a part of my knowing.
The best of us are reaching toward the place where we know the person is not the container, but rather the soul and the mind temporarily housed there. Most of us travel rocky paths in our quest for understanding. Among the pitfalls is religion, all religions. Too many of us are willing to let someone else do the research, interpret the findings and tell us what God wants us to know. It's easier in the short run, but faith, knowledge and the peace that passes understanding are worth the price paid in self-study.
There are women willing to march in demand of equal pay for equal jobs. Others stand and fight for the right to stand and fight. Some cringe when the door is opened for them, while a similar number expect special consideration simply because their bodies house the womb. Weak men fear powerful women as a challenge to their masculinity. Frightened people are willing to subjugate or be subjugated based on a biased scripture interpretation.
Are men and women created equally? The answer can only be yes unless we are willing to believe souls come in levels of superiority. Minds, souls and abilities do not have gender. We may be limited by the body we occupy, but not by our Creator. Cultures, religions, individual circumstances dictate our environment and affect our sagacity, not our equality. There may be a male and female experience, but not a male and female disparity.
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Writing Prompt We all know how it is, right? Saturday night, good friends, good wine, and things come up. One of our favorite and most heated discussions is: Are all men/women created equal? What do you think? |
Are all Men/women created equal? Contest Winner |
 Recognized |
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Contest requirements were simple: Are all men/women created equal? What do you think? 250 to 750 words.
417 Words. Thanks for reading.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. 417 Words. Thanks for reading.
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