We've gone from a culture that undervalued women to a culture that both undervalues and devalues women. Though the feminist movement claimed more women's rights as their goal, the result was just the opposite. Easy divorce, career focus, free love, abortion, pornography- these all ultimately work to the benefit of men at the expense of women- women, who were already disadvantaged, not just physically disadvantaged, but also because bearing and raising children forces them to be dependent on men.
Then, following 60yrs of devaluing women, comes the astroturf (mostly men-funded) trans "movement" which seeks to eliminate women altogether.
And, all this devaluation of women done with the cooperation of women, perhaps, due to the siren song of "women's rights," who have given away their greatest power over men- their virtue.
It is said that men do not understand women, but it seems neither do women understand men. Men, especially young men, are driven mostly by urges below their belts. And men will do or say anything that leads to satisfaction of those urges. Guys always knew the girls who "would," and the girls who "won't." And, it is an unfair double standard, but a promiscous guy is considered a "stud," while a promiscuous girl is considered a "slut." And, while guys might prefer to party with the girls who "do," they prefer to marry the girls who "don't." Cold, hard facts.
All that said, and to get to a more mature level of thought, women possess strengths and inclinations that men cannot or do not have. Woman, wife and mother are terms deserving of reverence. Proverbs states that the price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies. It then goes on to describe the many invaluable strengths and inclinations of such a woman. Ephesians agrees that women deserve reverence, stating that men ought love their wives as they love their own bodies.
Are these biblical expectations of men's and women's attitudes toward women in line with today's culture, or are they the exact opposite? And, if the exact opposite, what influence in our culture has been forgotten or abandoned to allow that to occur?
We have no right to happiness. That seems true to me but it doesn't go very far. My immediate thought goes to the oft repeated words of Thich Nhat Hanh– "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." Can we say, "There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way"? There is no way to happiness through demanding it from anyone or anything outside of oneself. Happiness is an inside job. The most extreme example of this that I am aware of is Viktor Frankl's account of those in the Nazi death camps who would give all they had to others. Rather than grasping for the last piece of bread, they would give it away to those more in need. They chose inwardly to be the presence of love to those around them. Did that make them happy all of the time? Probably they had deep moments of despair otherwise they could not have felt compassion for the despair of those around them.
We've gone from a culture that undervalued women to a culture that both undervalues and devalues women. Though the feminist movement claimed more women's rights as their goal, the result was just the opposite. Easy divorce, career focus, free love, abortion, pornography- these all ultimately work to the benefit of men at the expense of women- women, who were already disadvantaged, not just physically disadvantaged, but also because bearing and raising children forces them to be dependent on men.
Then, following 60yrs of devaluing women, comes the astroturf (mostly men-funded) trans "movement" which seeks to eliminate women altogether.
And, all this devaluation of women done with the cooperation of women, perhaps, due to the siren song of "women's rights," who have given away their greatest power over men- their virtue.
It is said that men do not understand women, but it seems neither do women understand men. Men, especially young men, are driven mostly by urges below their belts. And men will do or say anything that leads to satisfaction of those urges. Guys always knew the girls who "would," and the girls who "won't." And, it is an unfair double standard, but a promiscous guy is considered a "stud," while a promiscuous girl is considered a "slut." And, while guys might prefer to party with the girls who "do," they prefer to marry the girls who "don't." Cold, hard facts.
All that said, and to get to a more mature level of thought, women possess strengths and inclinations that men cannot or do not have. Woman, wife and mother are terms deserving of reverence. Proverbs states that the price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies. It then goes on to describe the many invaluable strengths and inclinations of such a woman. Ephesians agrees that women deserve reverence, stating that men ought love their wives as they love their own bodies.
Are these biblical expectations of men's and women's attitudes toward women in line with today's culture, or are they the exact opposite? And, if the exact opposite, what influence in our culture has been forgotten or abandoned to allow that to occur?
We have no right to happiness. That seems true to me but it doesn't go very far. My immediate thought goes to the oft repeated words of Thich Nhat Hanh– "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." Can we say, "There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way"? There is no way to happiness through demanding it from anyone or anything outside of oneself. Happiness is an inside job. The most extreme example of this that I am aware of is Viktor Frankl's account of those in the Nazi death camps who would give all they had to others. Rather than grasping for the last piece of bread, they would give it away to those more in need. They chose inwardly to be the presence of love to those around them. Did that make them happy all of the time? Probably they had deep moments of despair otherwise they could not have felt compassion for the despair of those around them.