India is a land of many female deities. Women are celebrated in our culture as they are the creators of the next generation. Women play multiple roles and do multi tasking with ease. They are God’s best creation as they spend their whole lives serving and catering to other’s needs. They offer love, care, and warmth and manage both family responsibilities and career paths with ease. Mother Teresa was an iconic personality with greatest motherly qualities.
A woman, to me, is the synonym of sacrifice, love and caring. She is a companion to man for life, created specially by God. Yet she can cling to her own identity, her own persona. Women, in my opinion, are marvelous, wonderful creatures who deserve all the love and respect of the world in return. However, I don’t think they are God’s best creations. A woman plays several roles during the duration of her life. She is someone’s affectionate sister, someone’s loving daughter, someone’s supportive wife, someone’s protective mother, someone’s sweet wielding grandmother, maybe even a mother-in-law or a great-aunt.
But even within these roles she plays in her life, she serves many purposes in each and every one of them. She is a partner in life, and a best friend. A woman is blessed with a kind heart, a sea of love, and a bundle of affection. She is, undoubtedly, a symbol of love and a pillar of strength. She is like the moon. She revolves around us twenty-four seven, helping us in every way she can. Even when we cannot see her, she is always keeping an eye on us. A woman sacrifices everything but keeps a smile pasted on her beautiful lips. You will never realize how many sacrifices she has done to keep you and the whole family up.
She is a beautiful creation, sympathetic in nature, always caring more about her family than herself. She rarely even takes the time to think of herself, always too busy helping others. She has the amazing ability to tolerate everyone’s problems and deal with them. She is the symbol of sacrifice, love, patience, care, responsibility and beauty. In some cases, they have a much higher caliber than men. Men do all the administrative, office work. But women, they do that as well as complete the domestic work and cater to all the needs of her household back home.
Everyone has heard the famous adage that says, “Behind every successful man, there is a woman.” They are responsible, beautiful creatures. Her most beautiful quality is her capacity to love, cherish and care for others, be it her husband, children, parents, or even in-laws. She is a contributor and nurturer in the family who always needs the love and support of her family members and loved ones which enables her to be the magic wand which empowers her children and society. Her multi-tasking capacity is unparalleled as she plays all her roles simultaneously and effectively with full sincerity.
Yet, they are the most humble and delicate members of the family. Every home, every heart, every feeling, every moment of happiness is incomplete without her. A woman is like a big giant truck. Powerful, but it needs a tiny key to start it. Physically, they might be a little weaker than men. Physiologically, they are more evolved than men and mentally, they are much stronger. They are full of selflessness, emotions and patience, to make this globe the best possible place to live in. They have patience and perseverance, strength and confidence. They have proved themselves by demolishing the myth that certain fields were only meant for men.
They can be young or old, but always dynamic, vibrant, perfect & sincere as mountaineers, fire-fighters, doctors, legislators, engineers, astronauts, train drivers, scientists, diplomats, teachers, drivers, entrepreneurs; they have stormed all possible male-dominated areas. Women are an important part of the world. There are many great women achievers in our world, heroines and legends that we look up to, wherein heroines does not refer solely to celebrities or actors. By heroines, I mean people like Mother Teresa, Sarojini Naidu, Florence Nightingale, and many others who worked selflessly to aid other people.
The Best Creation of God
In spite of all these qualities, I still do not hold women to be the best creations of God. They are indeed supreme creations. But they are often stereotyped into the notion of being perfect. Women are just as human and erroneous as men. They should not be either criticized, undervalued and trampled upon, nor should they be overestimated, worshipped, or stereotyped. The difference between the prison cell and the pedestal is simply the attitude. Stating that women are God’s best creation implies, that we are comparing her to the waves of the ocean, the fishes in the sea, the birds of the air, the beautiful variety of trees and the cool breeze in the air, among several other things.
On our planet earth, everything is created by God. Right from the light that enables us to see the beauty around us to the darkness that helps us imagine that beauty. Emphasizing any particular species, gender or creation would be unfair. Instead, I believe that each creation has its own beauty. One has to recognize its perfection. Everything created on the earth has a purpose and God lives in every creation. Even the goal of true feminism is not to prove that women are better, or stand at a higher level than men. It simply asks and promotes equality of either gender.
The debate to prove the superiority of women cannot be a justice at any level. They are to be given the same love and care as is given to a man. On the other hand, each and every man should work for his stand in the family, in society and in the world. Women are at par with male in each and every section and need to be uplifted further more. God’s every creation holds its own significance. Every living creature is unique in their existence and performance. Everyone has a calibre and talent, the difference lies in the way they utilise their opportunities to emerge and show their existence.
A woman is as good as any other creation of God. They have their own good and bad traits. No one on this earth is complete, as everyone has some or the other point in their life for which they feel that they could have been better. So is a woman like anyone else who tries to complete her tasks and responsibilities to her level best. Not every woman is same, they differ with their behaviour, mannerisms and many other qualities, similarly, and they differ from the other creations of God. To compare and compete, one should have similar circumstances. Life never gives the same situation to two people to live in. The lives differ and so do the traits.
Conclusion
No one can deny that women are majestic creations. They need to be respected and loved. However, this respect is not owed to them because of their supposed perfection. Women should not be idolized for superiority, but respected because they are also simply people. On the other hand, no creation of God can be given the title of being the best. Every creation is uniquely special in its own way. That is what adds the element of perfection.
I would like to conclude with a beautiful poem by Gabriel Embry about the Creations of God.
“I look around, and everywhere I can see,
The beauty of God’s creations smiling back at me.
A precious baby with velvety soft skin,
On its face an adorable grin.
First morning dew on a pink rose;
A beautiful butterfly drawing to it close.
The sun’s golden rays gently warming the ground;
Luscious plants covering the soil abound.
Hummingbirds singing high up in the tree;
White sand glistening beside the turquoise sea.
Snow-capped mountains, majestically high;
A colorful rainbow adorning the afternoon sky.
Countless stars above, sparkling so bright,
Decorating the horizon and illuminating the night.
Thank you, Dear God, for giving me another day,
To enjoy the beauty of your creation,
To worship you and to pray.”
In our culture, women have been time and again heralded as symbols of 'sacrifice'. This quality of 'sacrifice' tagged to a woman, it seems has been perpetuated with a hidden agenda of exploiting the women and keeping them subjugated. It is not uncommon to find the elders, the parents and the so called wise in the community to be often blindly offering the advice of 'sacrificing for the sake of the family' to the women. These advices are generally showered on women when she acts in the interest of her 'self'. She is advised to 'sacrifice' when the men in her life do not want to make an effort to support the needs and interests of the woman. This advice is given time and again when she is being made the victim of exploitation by her family. It seems as if the victimization process becomes sanctified when it is branded a 'sacrifice'. Not only that, by thinking that the women ought to sacrifice for the sake of the family, the people who exploit her take her need to 'sacrifice' for granted.
It is ironical that this myth has been perpetuated generation after generation in a land that has produced and documented many of the highest and most refined thoughts and philosophies.
If only the true meaning of the word 'sacrifice' was as popular as its distorted meaning. 'Sacrifice' is not at all about 'denial' or 'suppression' of interests and desires. 'Sacrifice' is about setting aside certain things while pursuing one's passion and interest that defines and creates who you are. 'Sacrifice' is simply about choosing passion over other interests of life. 'Sacrifice' is never an effort on part of the person who is sacrificing although it may seem to be so for an onlooker.
For example, an activist who is passionate about working for a cause, may decide to give up a comfortable lifestyle and adopt the one which is not physically comforting. In such a case, for the activist, this 'sacrifice' or 'renunciation' is a choice that results very naturally from pursuing her passion.
Now, when we view the 'sacrifices' the women are 'asked' and 'coaxed' into making in light of the true meaning of 'sacrifice', we can clearly see that they are not 'sacrifices' at all! If a woman wants to pursue her interest about which she is passionate but instead is forced to make the choice of not pursuing it for the sake of her family, it is denial of herself not a 'sacrifice' that she is making. She is 'forced' into making the 'sacrifices' as the men in the family do not (want to) or cannot make an effort to be supportive of her interest and passion. Hence promoting and even glorifying the sacrifices made by women serves perfectly the interest of a patriarchal society. There are so many women who succumb to the false glory of 'sacrificing' and are not even aware that in the process all they are really doing is killing their 'soul'. To many such women the realization of this loss hits them at a much later age when often it is too late.
If a woman does gather the courage to go against the expectation of 'sacrificing', she is immediately branded a 'selfish'. And unfortunately so negative and under-rated is the attribute of 'selfishness' that many women do not feel very happy and comfortable about it and it is enough to force them to re-consider their action. Only very few women remain courageous and stand their ground and pursue their passion and interest despite the resistance. Also very few women are fortunate to get the support of the family and are not expected to 'sacrifice'.
Whether or not the woman needs to 'sacrifice' anything, it must be her choice and not the choice made for her by her family. What must she sacrifice must also be her and her choice alone. There are women who by their own choice, choose to give up a lucrative career for their passion and interest of being a home-maker. Such women are to an extent fortunate as their choice does not conflict with the normal expectations of the society. However, it is women whose passion lies elsewhere and outside their home who have to face the challenging consequences of shattering the expectations of the patriarchal society. It would be in the interest of their ultimate happiness for these women to become aware of the true meaning of 'sacrifice' when it is being used by the society to make them into a 'sacrificial lamb'. For if they succumb to the glorification and promotion of 'sacrifice' today, it is very much likely that they will regret their decision at some stage of their life by when it might be too late. So, to those women, my advice is 'listen to thy heart and heed what it says !'.
Listen to thy heart, oh woman
Heed what it says !
Listen to it despite the din and the noise.
Listen to it even if sometimes it may make you lose your poise.
Listen to it when it cries out loud and clear.
Listen to it when it palpitates in fear.
Listen to it when it wants to dare and enjoy.
Listen to it when it wants to just play coy.
Listen to it to get a clue and to find who you are.
Listen to it to get closer to dreams that seem so afar.
Listen to thy heart, oh woman
Heed what it says !
COURAGEOUS WOMAN
For me, a courageous woman sacrifices everything for herself or for her family. A courageous woman can live a life although she faces lot of problems. being brave, wise, unselfish, dependable, and energetic, this characteristics can describe a courageous woman. Women get their courage through their loved ones, because women know that many people is counting on their skills, specially men. Because as they say women are the assistant of men, women is always behind men. being the assistant of men, women still show their courage by helping them. They’ve been strong for the people around them.
Women always sacrifices there dreams and happiness for family she always suffers from so many problems like periods every month still doing job and work of house.
Baby birth pain women can only handle. Still she always blame for everything and tortured by men. Rape by man very dangerous behavior done by men towards the ladies.
I wants to end my article by few lines
Women in the form of daughter, in the form sister, in the form of wife, in the form mother.
Never cry for her pain but always cry for other suffering
Never wants to achieve her dreams but always wants that her children achieved everything
Salute to all the beautiful and brave ladies