Sometimes positive culture change can be advanced by the most unlikely influences.
There is an article and link on Huffington Post (1) for a video of an advertisement from a jeweler in India. The reason this ad is newsworthy is because it challenges the long standing taboos that widowed and divorced EVE have suffered under in Indian culture.
An article by V. Malik (2) offers a good description of the hardships of many widows in India. He writes, “The marriageable age was lowered further and girls were married at the age of 8, just before the time they attained puberty. Widow marriages were prohibited and sati (being burned on the husband’s funeral pyre, my note) became a common practice. Early marriage was naturally followed by early maternity, which increased the mortality among women between the ages of 14 and 22. Child brides got married to men twice their age, who died early due to disease or warfare leaving these brides as child widows who were not permitted to remarry. They had to lead a chaste life and could not look at another man their entire life. They had to remain faithful to their husband, alive or dead, all their lives.”
There have been attempts to change this terrible social situation for EVE in India. In fact, the British government passed a law in 1856 that legalized widow remarriage, but a law doesn’t necessarily change people’s minds or habits. Those who opposed the new law had three arguments against it, which basically sound exactly like every other argument for changing the Manplan and improving the lives of EVE(2):
1. we’ve “always” done it this way so it must be right,
2. if restrictions on women are relaxed, society will crash and burn, and
3. women are by nature deceitful, untrustworthy and prone to adultery.
“AdWeek reports that India has been ‘mesmerized’ by the ad. The trade outlet called the commercial ‘revolutionary’ and ‘crazy bold.’(1) So maybe a simple advertisement for jewelry can make Indian citizens rethink this demoralizing and harmful cultural taboo. We hope so!
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/31/india-second-marriage-ad_n_4181192.html?1383239302&icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl2|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D399561
(2) “Problems Of Widow Remarriage In India: A Study”, Varun Malik, Assistant Professor, Rayat College Of Law, Railmajra, India, Journal of Business Management & Social Sciences Research, Volume 2, No.2, February 2013.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013
MONSANTO & THE MANPLAN
The issue of GMO foods and the greed and disregard for people and the planet shown by companies like Monsanto are living, fire-breathing examples of the Manplan at work in many ways:
1. the arrogance of thinking that we can control, improve on nature without any thought for long term consequences on human health and the environment,
2. total dishonesty about the true effects that these “products” are having on small farmers and their ability to grow safe, healthy food,
3. utter disregard for the millions who will actually have less to eat in future years because of the damage to crop yields and the push for mono-agriculture, and
4. blatant bribing of government entities (mostly in the U.S.) for special treatment that lets them get away with “murder” both in the fields and in the supermarkets.
The values of the Manplan and Monsanto’s campaign for GMO’s are identical:
** only interested in profit and power,
** only focused on short-term personal triumphs not long-term social successes, and
** perfectly comfortable with lying, cheating, and corrupting to win the “game” regardless of the harm done to others.
BUT, just as Conversations with EVE shows how our personal advocacy can challenge and change the negative values of the Manplan, the activism of many anti-GMO, food safety advocates has exposed and derailed the “Monsanto Protection Act.”
This provision, deceitfully labeled the Farmer Assurance Provision, was slipped into the Senate Continuing Resolution spending bill by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) and signed into law last March, but the Monsanto attachment was only in effect until September 30th. And because of the protests, phone calls, and petitions of average people it has expired!
This is a victory for all those who think special interests shouldn’t get special deals,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said. “This secret rider … instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to allow GMO crops to be cultivated and sold even when our courts had found they posed a potential risk to farmers of nearby crops, the environment, and human health.” (1)
“This is a major victory for the food movement and all those who care about openness and transparency in their government,” Dave Murphy, the executive director of Food Democracy Now, said in a statement. “And a sign that our voices can make the difference when we are effectively organized.”(1)
One small victory over the Manplan – let’s keep ‘em coming!!!
(1) http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/legislation/324581
(2) http://www.infowars.com
1. the arrogance of thinking that we can control, improve on nature without any thought for long term consequences on human health and the environment,
2. total dishonesty about the true effects that these “products” are having on small farmers and their ability to grow safe, healthy food,
3. utter disregard for the millions who will actually have less to eat in future years because of the damage to crop yields and the push for mono-agriculture, and
4. blatant bribing of government entities (mostly in the U.S.) for special treatment that lets them get away with “murder” both in the fields and in the supermarkets.
The values of the Manplan and Monsanto’s campaign for GMO’s are identical:
** only interested in profit and power,
** only focused on short-term personal triumphs not long-term social successes, and
** perfectly comfortable with lying, cheating, and corrupting to win the “game” regardless of the harm done to others.
BUT, just as Conversations with EVE shows how our personal advocacy can challenge and change the negative values of the Manplan, the activism of many anti-GMO, food safety advocates has exposed and derailed the “Monsanto Protection Act.”
This provision, deceitfully labeled the Farmer Assurance Provision, was slipped into the Senate Continuing Resolution spending bill by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) and signed into law last March, but the Monsanto attachment was only in effect until September 30th. And because of the protests, phone calls, and petitions of average people it has expired!
This is a victory for all those who think special interests shouldn’t get special deals,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said. “This secret rider … instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to allow GMO crops to be cultivated and sold even when our courts had found they posed a potential risk to farmers of nearby crops, the environment, and human health.” (1)
“This is a major victory for the food movement and all those who care about openness and transparency in their government,” Dave Murphy, the executive director of Food Democracy Now, said in a statement. “And a sign that our voices can make the difference when we are effectively organized.”(1)
One small victory over the Manplan – let’s keep ‘em coming!!!
(1) http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/legislation/324581
(2) http://www.infowars.com
Friday, September 27, 2013
EASY (R)EVOLUTIONARY #3
Being an EASY (R)EVOLUTIONARY has never been easier! Just this morning I was reminded of this through a post on Facebook.
A friend of mine posted a link to an interview with the chairman of a major food corporation. In this interview the executive made remarks about homosexual families and women’s place in the home, ending with “if gay customers don't like it, they can ‘eat another brand of pasta’."
I will be doing just that. And after I re-posted the link another friend commented, “well they lost 2 consumers in our home, that's for sure!” This is a wonderful example of how we can all use our purchasing power to shape social policies. Whether you’re buying something from a street vendor or a multinational corporation, your choices keep them in business. So by spending our money with progressive minded companies and NOT spending it with companies still stuck in the Manplan we create a new kind of business world.
And that’s just one way the power of choice that every individual holds works – by knowing that simple, every day decisions can move our world toward compassion, diversity, and peace.
MAKE A POSITIVE CHOICE – MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
A friend of mine posted a link to an interview with the chairman of a major food corporation. In this interview the executive made remarks about homosexual families and women’s place in the home, ending with “if gay customers don't like it, they can ‘eat another brand of pasta’."
I will be doing just that. And after I re-posted the link another friend commented, “well they lost 2 consumers in our home, that's for sure!” This is a wonderful example of how we can all use our purchasing power to shape social policies. Whether you’re buying something from a street vendor or a multinational corporation, your choices keep them in business. So by spending our money with progressive minded companies and NOT spending it with companies still stuck in the Manplan we create a new kind of business world.
And that’s just one way the power of choice that every individual holds works – by knowing that simple, every day decisions can move our world toward compassion, diversity, and peace.
MAKE A POSITIVE CHOICE – MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
DETERMINATION - NOT RETALIATION!
When I made a presentation recently to a businessmen’s club on the messages of Conversations with EVE, one man commented that it was important to look to the future rather than dwell on the past. I agree completely because the future is the only thing we can affect, and how we can do that is the whole point of the book.
BUT at the same time, it’s almost impossible to make positive social changes without knowing where the values and beliefs came from that still drive our dysfunctional world. Then, once we understand what caused the problems we can begin to work on solutions.
Too often when people want to know “what happened” they’re only goal is to assign blame and punishment for the problem, but that’s just retaliation not progress. As we talk about in Conversations, men may have been the big winners after the Myth of Male Superiority changed society and gave them social power over EVE, but they were also the big losers in many ways.
Conversations is about letting people understand how our social system became and stays dysfunctional and cruel, not about hating or punishing those (men) who benefited from such a system. So it’s important to remember that the vision of our (r)evolution is not blame and shame for men.
The vision is empowering people to change their lives and change the world by making their daily choices based on EQUALITY AND RESPECT for everyone, EVE and men both. It’s a positive social (r)evolution based on independent thinking, responsible choices, and the willpower to replace the negative values that shape and drive our world.
Blaming EVE for society’s ills and problems has been a mainstay of the Myth and the Manplan for thousands for years. So our EVE (r)evolution won’t be repeating the same mistake. Besides, we won’t have time or energy for blaming or punishing men. We’ll be too busy respecting and supporting each other and relishing the camaraderie of whole men who are working with us to leave the Manplan behind.
Determination to build a better society is what our movement is about, not retaliation.
BUT at the same time, it’s almost impossible to make positive social changes without knowing where the values and beliefs came from that still drive our dysfunctional world. Then, once we understand what caused the problems we can begin to work on solutions.
Too often when people want to know “what happened” they’re only goal is to assign blame and punishment for the problem, but that’s just retaliation not progress. As we talk about in Conversations, men may have been the big winners after the Myth of Male Superiority changed society and gave them social power over EVE, but they were also the big losers in many ways.
Conversations is about letting people understand how our social system became and stays dysfunctional and cruel, not about hating or punishing those (men) who benefited from such a system. So it’s important to remember that the vision of our (r)evolution is not blame and shame for men.
The vision is empowering people to change their lives and change the world by making their daily choices based on EQUALITY AND RESPECT for everyone, EVE and men both. It’s a positive social (r)evolution based on independent thinking, responsible choices, and the willpower to replace the negative values that shape and drive our world.
Blaming EVE for society’s ills and problems has been a mainstay of the Myth and the Manplan for thousands for years. So our EVE (r)evolution won’t be repeating the same mistake. Besides, we won’t have time or energy for blaming or punishing men. We’ll be too busy respecting and supporting each other and relishing the camaraderie of whole men who are working with us to leave the Manplan behind.
Determination to build a better society is what our movement is about, not retaliation.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
9/11 WAS NEVER ABOUT RELIGION
Americans observed a tragic remembrance yesterday. And because the 9/11 terrorists were avowed Muslims these anniversaries take on very religious tones. But it’s important to remember that the radical agenda of the jihadists leaders didn’t really have anything to do with religion at all. The attack on the World Trade Center was about power – pure and simple.
Yes, the al-Qaeda leaders did manipulate the religious devotion of their Muslim followers. And, yes, the goal of striking at the power of the United States was clothed in religious rhetoric. But this campaign to hold onto or seize power is no different than many, many others in the past – this one just happens to be wearing the mask of Islam. The same type of social manipulation was used by the Catholic Church during the Inquisition and the Crusades, by the Stalinists after the Communist Revolution and by the Nazis during World War II. It was even used by the Bush administration when it channeled the anger of the American public to manufacture a war-for-profit in Iraq.
So it’s critically important to make this distinction, because how we label the problem defines our solution.
As long as we label al-Qaeda and jihad terrorism as a “Muslim problem” we’re chasing the tail of religious intolerance and feeding the beast. But when we recognize it as the latest in a long history of Manplan campaigns by egotistical power mongers (regardless of what they call themselves) we can respond differently. We can pull the rug out from under their campaign of hatred by doing the opposite of what they expect, like:
1. Oppose violence in any form as a response, because history should have taught us that violence begets violence and it always will,
2. Promote respect and communication among ALL the world’s religions, and
3. Strive to bring equality and justice to every religion by doing away with the Manplan rules and attitudes that keep women out of religious authority and control.
I’m totally in favor of any belief system that helps people deal with the struggles and complexities of life, as long as the teachings promote kindness, justice, and ethical behavior. But, as we talk about in Conversations with EVE, too much of religion today only pays lip service to compassion and equality while fiercely opposing any changes that might threaten the power and control of its male leaders.
So, if you want to truly honor the memory of the Americans killed on 9/11, refocus your anger and energy. Use them to work for a world that operates on fairness rather than undeserved privilege and compassion rather than conflict.
Expect the best from your chosen faith, and don’t be taken in by the conspirators who prey on our need to pray!
Yes, the al-Qaeda leaders did manipulate the religious devotion of their Muslim followers. And, yes, the goal of striking at the power of the United States was clothed in religious rhetoric. But this campaign to hold onto or seize power is no different than many, many others in the past – this one just happens to be wearing the mask of Islam. The same type of social manipulation was used by the Catholic Church during the Inquisition and the Crusades, by the Stalinists after the Communist Revolution and by the Nazis during World War II. It was even used by the Bush administration when it channeled the anger of the American public to manufacture a war-for-profit in Iraq.
So it’s critically important to make this distinction, because how we label the problem defines our solution.
As long as we label al-Qaeda and jihad terrorism as a “Muslim problem” we’re chasing the tail of religious intolerance and feeding the beast. But when we recognize it as the latest in a long history of Manplan campaigns by egotistical power mongers (regardless of what they call themselves) we can respond differently. We can pull the rug out from under their campaign of hatred by doing the opposite of what they expect, like:
1. Oppose violence in any form as a response, because history should have taught us that violence begets violence and it always will,
2. Promote respect and communication among ALL the world’s religions, and
3. Strive to bring equality and justice to every religion by doing away with the Manplan rules and attitudes that keep women out of religious authority and control.
I’m totally in favor of any belief system that helps people deal with the struggles and complexities of life, as long as the teachings promote kindness, justice, and ethical behavior. But, as we talk about in Conversations with EVE, too much of religion today only pays lip service to compassion and equality while fiercely opposing any changes that might threaten the power and control of its male leaders.
So, if you want to truly honor the memory of the Americans killed on 9/11, refocus your anger and energy. Use them to work for a world that operates on fairness rather than undeserved privilege and compassion rather than conflict.
Expect the best from your chosen faith, and don’t be taken in by the conspirators who prey on our need to pray!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
THE EASY (R)EVOLUTIONARY #2
Let’s look at another simple way to change the world.
#2 RESPECT OTHERS AS YOU WANT TO BE RESPECTED
It’s easy to demean and disrespect someone, especially if that someone is a member of a group – women, black, handicapped, etc. - that might have a hard time standing up for themselves, socially and otherwise. Besides, you’re only expressing the long-standing prejudices that are part and parcel of the culture around you. And sometimes you can score points or fit in better with coworkers or social peers by voicing such attitudes.
So why bother to take the social and moral higher ground? Why make a conscious effort to deal with a person as an individual and not a ______ or a ______? The answer is pretty basic. Every time you treat another person with prejudice and disrespect you’re fueling our Manplan culture. A culture based on dividing people rather than bringing them together and keeping control in the hands of the most ruthless (be that politically or physically).
But the opposite is also true. Each of us already holds the power to reach that higher ground every time we choose:
** fairness instead of discrimination in dealing with others,
** cooperation and compromise instead of conflict, and
** thinking for ourselves instead of blindly accepting negative preconceptions.
When we do these things we are building a different, better culture based on good sense and fair play – two positive values we see very little of in our 21st century world. We don’t see good sense because social groups too often require unquestioning loyalty to religious dogma or party philosophy. And we don’t see fair play because many of these belief systems make it perfectly acceptable to ignore, demean or even harm someone who doesn’t believe like we do.
What we have is division and conflict. What we need is community and collaboration. So by actively demonstrating these social values at every opportunity we can have a positive and powerful influence on both the general culture and the individuals around us.
We won’t truly know or love too many people in our lifetime, but we can strive to respect every human being we meet along the way. Some of them will prove worthy of that respect and some won’t, but giving that respect as a matter of habit benefits all of us - today and in the future.
#2 RESPECT OTHERS AS YOU WANT TO BE RESPECTED
It’s easy to demean and disrespect someone, especially if that someone is a member of a group – women, black, handicapped, etc. - that might have a hard time standing up for themselves, socially and otherwise. Besides, you’re only expressing the long-standing prejudices that are part and parcel of the culture around you. And sometimes you can score points or fit in better with coworkers or social peers by voicing such attitudes.
So why bother to take the social and moral higher ground? Why make a conscious effort to deal with a person as an individual and not a ______ or a ______? The answer is pretty basic. Every time you treat another person with prejudice and disrespect you’re fueling our Manplan culture. A culture based on dividing people rather than bringing them together and keeping control in the hands of the most ruthless (be that politically or physically).
But the opposite is also true. Each of us already holds the power to reach that higher ground every time we choose:
** fairness instead of discrimination in dealing with others,
** cooperation and compromise instead of conflict, and
** thinking for ourselves instead of blindly accepting negative preconceptions.
When we do these things we are building a different, better culture based on good sense and fair play – two positive values we see very little of in our 21st century world. We don’t see good sense because social groups too often require unquestioning loyalty to religious dogma or party philosophy. And we don’t see fair play because many of these belief systems make it perfectly acceptable to ignore, demean or even harm someone who doesn’t believe like we do.
What we have is division and conflict. What we need is community and collaboration. So by actively demonstrating these social values at every opportunity we can have a positive and powerful influence on both the general culture and the individuals around us.
We won’t truly know or love too many people in our lifetime, but we can strive to respect every human being we meet along the way. Some of them will prove worthy of that respect and some won’t, but giving that respect as a matter of habit benefits all of us - today and in the future.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
THE EASY (R)EVOLUTIONARY
This week’s blog will introduce “The Easy (R)evolutionary.” These postings will give short suggestions for simple actions that anyone and everyone can take to create a safer, healthier, happier world - starting in our own backyard. Each one may not change the world overnight, but together they have the potential to do just that.
#1 TALK TO SOMEONE OUTSIDE YOUR “COMFORT ZONE”
Too often we stay well within our comfort zone by avoiding conversation or interaction with people who are “different” - a different color, a different age, a different nationality, a different religion, or a different way of dressing or speaking. And staying in this zone all the time causes us to miss out on many opportunities to expand our connections to people and our understanding of the way they see things. Because the walls of our comfort zone are sturdily built from the stereotypes the Manplan has taught us.
But as an Easy (R)evolutionary you can look for everyday chances to open a door or a window in those walls. Whether it’s in your office, in your neighborhood, at a party or in a checkout line look for chances to speak with someone who doesn’t look like everyone you usually talk to. Even short, simple conversations have the power to break down a barrier or open someone’s eyes – maybe yours.
Communication breeds understanding.
Understanding breeds acceptance.
Acceptance breeds cooperation.
And cooperation breeds peace.
It’s as simple as that!
#1 TALK TO SOMEONE OUTSIDE YOUR “COMFORT ZONE”
Too often we stay well within our comfort zone by avoiding conversation or interaction with people who are “different” - a different color, a different age, a different nationality, a different religion, or a different way of dressing or speaking. And staying in this zone all the time causes us to miss out on many opportunities to expand our connections to people and our understanding of the way they see things. Because the walls of our comfort zone are sturdily built from the stereotypes the Manplan has taught us.
But as an Easy (R)evolutionary you can look for everyday chances to open a door or a window in those walls. Whether it’s in your office, in your neighborhood, at a party or in a checkout line look for chances to speak with someone who doesn’t look like everyone you usually talk to. Even short, simple conversations have the power to break down a barrier or open someone’s eyes – maybe yours.
Communication breeds understanding.
Understanding breeds acceptance.
Acceptance breeds cooperation.
And cooperation breeds peace.
It’s as simple as that!
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