A Clue
Three weekends ago, I went with my sisters Shauna and Rebecca to the General Relief Society meeting of our church. It's a yearly meeting of the women's organization of our church in which our leaders address us and give us counsel. It's broadcast all over the world and usually we just watch it on t.v., so it was a special treat to actually attend the meeting live in the conference center in Salt Lake City.
Anyway, one of my greatest philosophical musings these days is about the intrinsic value of womanhood. I feel like women are different than men (in more ways than the obvious) and have, as a whole and as individuals, their own unique characteristics and instincts that, when developed and brought to light, compliment those of males. And vice versa, of course.
I think that men and women should be equals in this respect: that they have opportunities to develop those unique traits. I feel like women do generally have the opportunity to do that, but that society, for whatever reason, doesn't applaud or reward women seeking to be womanly. Instead it seems to me that the characteristics that are natural to men are the ones that are socially acceptable to pursue for either gender.
That's about as far as I've gotten in my musing - manly women. I haven't quite figured out what the traits that come naturally to either of the sexes are, and I imagine there are some that they share, although I don't know what they are either. And in that light, you could say that the whole thing doesn't make sense, but hey - it's a musing. So somebody out there enlighten me or set me straight.
So back to General Relief Society meeting. I really enjoyed a talk given by President Uchtdorf. If you're not familiar with him, he's in the first presidency of our church, and I believe that he's a prophet on the earth today. Awesome, no?
Anyway, I really appreciated the message that he shared with the women of the world. It was uplifting, inspiring, and was somewhat of a breath of fresh air for stay-at-home mommy like me. He talks about creation and compassion being God-like traits that come naturally to women, and suggests ways to develop them. I really hope that everyone will watch or read it. Even if you're not a girl, this is an awesome talk and will provide you with a little boost. Enjoy!
I think that men and women should be equals in this respect: that they have opportunities to develop those unique traits. I feel like women do generally have the opportunity to do that, but that society, for whatever reason, doesn't applaud or reward women seeking to be womanly. Instead it seems to me that the characteristics that are natural to men are the ones that are socially acceptable to pursue for either gender.
That's about as far as I've gotten in my musing - manly women. I haven't quite figured out what the traits that come naturally to either of the sexes are, and I imagine there are some that they share, although I don't know what they are either. And in that light, you could say that the whole thing doesn't make sense, but hey - it's a musing. So somebody out there enlighten me or set me straight.
So back to General Relief Society meeting. I really enjoyed a talk given by President Uchtdorf. If you're not familiar with him, he's in the first presidency of our church, and I believe that he's a prophet on the earth today. Awesome, no?
Anyway, I really appreciated the message that he shared with the women of the world. It was uplifting, inspiring, and was somewhat of a breath of fresh air for stay-at-home mommy like me. He talks about creation and compassion being God-like traits that come naturally to women, and suggests ways to develop them. I really hope that everyone will watch or read it. Even if you're not a girl, this is an awesome talk and will provide you with a little boost. Enjoy!
That was a very good talk. I love hearing from the General Authorities and feeling all the love, understanding, and compassion that they have.
ReplyDeleteThat was a perfect way to put it. Manly Women. I don't know why we are so trained to seek roles that are less womanly. Is it a false sense of power? What stay at home moms do is thought of as a chore rather than a blessing and a boon to society. I've often been pndering this lately and may write about it on my blog. I so wish we lived near each other, my dear cousin, because I believe we would be really good friends.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about men's and women's roles lately too because I finished a Dr. Laura book (nerdy, I know) entitled "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands." I LOVED it! And, I personally think that every wife should read it, although many wouldn't be able to handle it.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's my tangent. Uchdorf's talk was amazing, huh?
I don't get the title of the post, though...