Looking Ahead!

Hello readers. I am overjoyed to have you back here. If you haven't already read my previous blogs, kindly go through them before reading this one further. To be precise, this blog is the culmination of the foregoing discourse around the persistence of gender-based issues, as perceived by yours truly, over the last four blogs in this series.

Before diving in, I want to reaffirm that all the views expressed here are personal and I present it with a great sense of responsibility. Despite that, constructive criticisms and any additional dimensions from your end are more than welcome and so, do not hesitate to put it forth in the comments section.

"Where there is no hope, it is incumbent on us to find it" -     Albert Camus

Source : illustratelucy

To exist in a world which is free from any negative biases - where there is a mutual respect and inter-dependencies are celebrated, diversity is dignified but is not a marker of entitlements, there aren't any fixed dichotomies of weak/powerful, mobility from one situation to the other is purely based on the abilities of the individual and not what they look like or where do they fall in the gender binary, and tolerance as well as sensitivity towards the emotions of all the human beings equitably - among other things, is what remains as one of the most beautiful dreams. So, the question I bring forth today is - 'Could it become a reality any time soon?'

Though, looking around, reading newspapers and making simple conversations with people around me, it does not seem quite possible. But, there do exist certain silver linings, which hand me just what I need on tough days - glimmer of hope!

In my previous blogs, I have already discussed about the kind of changes we all must work upon to bring in the society as a whole. However, as is rightly said - 'it's the little things that count' and hence, we will pay attention to the 'little things' that me and you can incorporate into our lives on a day-to-day basis, thereby relentlessly contributing towards the manifestation of the 'ideal world'.

(Someone really special to me has, over the years, made me adapt to the twin concepts of 'idealism' and 'realism' in all the practical aspects of life and that is what I am going to apply here as well.)

Ideally, all the people, following the never-ending efforts put in by different schools of feminists, sociologists,  reformers, thinkers, field-workers and other well-meaning communities, must have by now, as a result, forfeited the discriminatory and derogatory practices regarding gender as it affects each and everyone. The linguistic normalization of a gender's dominance over others must have been fixed as of now. The behavioral attitudes should have been softened and sensitivised already. In fact, the change must have been bottom-up, meaning, starting from our homes percolating all the way in the society. 

Interestingly, in reality, however, that isn't the case. In the real world, the various issues still persist, even after decades of decentralized efforts in the direction of actualizing the sought after changes. This is because, despite the efforts, the change has been more of a 'lip service'. We advocate change, but we fail to adapt to it in the smallest of things, arguing that the change is first required in the overall situation. The debate is similar to 'Who came first? The hen or the egg?'. But, the need of the hour is to begin to act change! This must be known that the entire sociological fabric is so much more intricate than we assume it to be. And in this case, there can never be the euphoria of 100% accomplishment of the set goal. So, there is no point sitting and waiting.

All of us must start doing whatever is in our might. There are people who can influence minds with their rhetorical finesse. Such people must, therefore, spread the word as far as possible. There are others who might have a large social circle, they must try and modify their actions and words and inspire others to follow. Then there are people, who are not quite willing to be involved in the social realm,so such people can still work on their intra-personal way of life, cleansing thought-processes, treating themselves and their close ones rightly. Obviously, all this and a lot more could be done by a single person as well. There is no better way to enact change, if the intent and act are virtuous. And therefore, it will be wrong to judge others if they are doing things in a certain way which may not be the same as your preferred way. We need to support people who are driven with the same cause, instead of typecasting them for the path chosen.

To end the biases, we need to rise above what we have been conditioned for throughout our lives based upon the conventional mindsets. The easiest way is to question practices as well as everyday behaviors and replace them with what feels justified humanly and has a tinge of love and fraternity for all. If you are not sure about the right thing to be done, ask the other person what he/she would prefer. Of course, due deliberations must be done before concluding over the right way. But what is more important is that you listen consciously and respect other's emotions, devoid of any biases which might influence you to do otherwise. Empathy, respect, sensitivity and generosity should become an essential part of your thought-process. 

To conclude, we need to understand that even though the entire world may not change as quickly as you might like, but you can take control of your own world, so do it wisely!   

"If people can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it's opposite."     - Nelson Mandela.