In praise of women

The monks on Mount Athos live in a male dominated world. Even the animals imported on the islands have to be males!

Such a world is a tad dull, isn't it? A world without women (or without men, for that matter) is like a rainbow with a couple of colours missing. The presence of men and women in society is not at issue; however, their role has been and still is.

It has changed through centuries, cultures and countries. Women fulfilled different roles from submissive chattels to dominant personalities. Times are changing and even sectors that had, for a long time, been considered as the dominion of males are no longer so.

Politics is one of them; though a lot has still to be done in counties like ours.

Some thought, and think, that politics is a men's world. Harriet Harman, the Deputy Leader of the British Labour Party, thinks exactly the opposite.

She told The London Sunday Times (cf last Sunday's electronic version) that men cannot be trusted to run organisations on their own.

"I don't agree with all-male leaderships," she said. "Men cannot be left to run things on their own. I think it's a thoroughly bad thing to have a men-only leadership."

She added:

"In a country where women regard themselves as equal, they are not prepared to see men running the show themselves," she said.

"I think a balanced team of men and women makes better decisions. That's one of the reasons why I was prepared to run for deputy leader."

I think she has a point; don't you?

In praise of carers

I regularly use the Jesuit-run prayer web site www.sacredspace.ie A few days ago they posted the following paragraph that I reproduce here:

"For a mother with a baby, the work is endless, respecting neither day nor night nor timetables. But even a mother's work seems easy compared with caring for the old and incontinent. A mother is handling the precious, promising body of her baby. She is rewarded at least with trust and occasional smiles. But when we are old, our bodies fall apart, our controls slip and we are not easy to help. We are proud, ashamed and angry at being so reduced. Smiles do not come easily. Yet across every country there are wives, husbands and other carers whose daily existence centres round cleaning up for their loved ones. ‘Your father who sees in secret will reward you.' (Matthew 6:6)
It is an unfashionable doctrine. Thomas A Kempis (remember The Imitation of Christ?) urged us to, ‘Enjoy being unknown and regarded as nothing.' He was praising the ability to persist through tedium, to survive without the oxygen of recognition, praise and stroking, to do some good things every day which are seen only by God. Carers are among the world's most heroic people."

Wise words indeed!

In praise of marriage

The following is the conclusion of Time magazine's cover story on marriage. It was written by Caitlin Flanagan and published on July, 17.

"The fundamental question we must ask ourselves at the beginning of the century is this: What is the purpose of marriage? Is it-given the game-changing realities of birth control, female equality and the fact that motherhood outside of marriage is no longer stigmatized-simply an institution that has the capacity to increase the pleasure of the adults who enter into it? If so, we might as well hold the wake now: there probably aren't many people whose idea of 24-hour-a-day good times consists of being yoked to the same romantic partner, through bouts of stomach flu and depression, financial setbacks and emotional upsets, until after many a long decade, one or the other eventually dies in harness.

"Or is marriage an institution that still hews to its old intention and function-to raise the next generation, to protect and teach it, to instil in it the habits of conduct and character that will ensure the generation's own safe passage into adulthood? Think of it this way: the current generation of children, the one watching commitments between adults snap like dry twigs and observing parents who simply can't be bothered to marry each other and who hence drift in and out of their children's lives-that's the generation who will be taking care of us when we are old.... What we teach about the true meaning of marriage will determine a great deal about our fate."

Words worth reflecting on.

In praise of the blue badge

"A luxury for you, a basic necessity for me. Do not add to my problems." This is the name of the campaign that is being waged by the Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b'Dizabilta as part of the EU project Progress.

The Kummissjoni is bringing to our attention the blue badge, formerly known as the blue sticker or card. This authorises persons with severe or lack of mobility or with permanent or temporary disability to park in parking bays allocated specifically for blue badge holders.

As the slogan of the campaign says, this card is a necessity for persons with disability. It is a great pity when people without disability abusively park in the parking bays marked in blue. This is appalling. The egoism of such people should be punished and hefty fines should be the price that one pays for such abuse.

The Kummissjoni also shows that some of the holders of the blue card abuse it as well. They sometimes lend it to other members of their families. Such practice is equally condemnable. The card is there to help the disabled not to make life easy for their families or friends.

The authorities should see to it that the number of blue bays is increased to reflect the increase in the number of disabled persons who drive cars. Besides, they should see to it that the increased pedestrianisation of different areas is not done at the expense of disabled persons. We should not increase the number of no-go areas for these persons.

It is wise of the Kummissjoni to remind us that what is a luxury for many is a necessity for some.

In praise of a sensible decision

The Management Board of Majjistral Park under the chair of Dr Ian Castaldi Paris decided to limit the time that hunting can be exercised in the Park. Now hunting has to stop at 9.00a.m. This is a sensible and courageous decision. It is taken in the best Aristotelian tradition of finding the middle way between two extremes. It steers away from the position of no hunting that the NGOs were advocating and the other position, which would hardly restrict hunting at all. This decision will benefit all families who go to the Park for recreation.

Such a decision will quite understandably be criticised by the hunting lobby. One hopes that the Management Board and its chair will find all the support they need from the authorities and the public at large.