Today, I believe, is International Women’s Day. The significance of this day would have escaped my notice if it were not for the radio station in my car exhorting the listeners every few minutes to “recognize” the women in their lives by giving them flowers and jewelry because women love these for gifts. Okay!
Who comes up with these “Days” to celebrate one thing or the other, I wonder?
As far as I know, we celebrate days for particular reasons:
- To salute the achievements of a minority. Um, last I heard, the world’s population is almost evenly divided between the two sexes.
- To commemorate the memory of someone who has made a difference in others’ lives. Women have not yet become a distant memory. They are very much here. So, why not celebrate individual women’s achievements and legacies instead of asking everyone to celebrate the lump-sum of “women?”
- To support a role played by a percentage of the population, such as that of a father or a mother. Hmm … women have not assumed the role of a “woman” at some point in their lives. They were born as such.
- To bring an endangered species into the world’s notice. Women are not nearing extinction.
- To share an emotion like love with others. Women are not an intangible emotion.
Besides, none of the women I know is holding her breath for someone to pat her on her back one day a year and say, “Bravo! What a great job you’re doing being a woman!”
Like everyone else around her — men, other women and children – she’s too busy keeping up with her life.
Bravo Hema!! Well said!!!
Thanks, RK!
What??I did not even know there was such a day! And I missed it! I GUESS I should feel unappreciated or worse GUILTY that I did not pat a woman or women that I respect/and or admire on the back.
Great post Hema, I heartily concur with your thoughts on the matter!
Thanks for reading! I hope you found a chance to tell some woman/women how much you appreciate their being in your life, even if not on the women’s day :).
I’ve never understood the importance either. Why should there be a particular day to celebrate love, friendship, mother, women, dad etc. Phew!
Me neither. It almost feels like these days help promote lack of appreciation for the rest of the year :). Thanks for stopping by, Sharoon!
*chuckle*
Considering the way some girls are growing up, thinking that being a woman is about taking off our clothes and pretending to be dumb and subservient, it’s possible that women are an endangered species. But I don’t think so.
Jai
Check out the online international museum of women – where things are happening all the time : http://imow.org/home/index
All day of the year must be celebrated for humanity! Celebrate by being kind and helpful to others. As Plato says ~ “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”.
Regards.
With you on this Hema, why women’s day and why pancake day, never got it!!!
Thank you, Pushpa! Me neither :).