VIAGGI DI VINCENZO
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IF.....
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Much of our society's current pathologies can be attributed to its feminization over the past century, to its loss of its masculine spirit and character. One needs a healthy balance between masculine and feminine characteristics.
by Rudyard Kipling
IN ITALIANO
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
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Pietraperzia Press is an independent newspaper blog and a subsidiary of Viaggi di Vincenzo that seeks to present a fresh look at the world by publishing articles guaranteed to stimulate free thought. We here at Pietraperzia Press present material covering a wide variety of genres.
News Source: AmicoDeiSogni
Categories: Poetry / Poesia, Culture / Cultura
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1 Comment
However--
Where I think this "femininization" of society is extremely relevant today (and why "The Dinner Party" is still very relevant in 2010 context), is the very fact that history and art history are no doubt told from a predominantly male perspective, and simply put, history does largely equate to his-(rich white man's)-story.
Also, take issues like unequal pay for equal work. Until women are consistently paid the same as male counterparts, how could I ever hope for other changes to happen, like seeing more women as world leaders, doctors, lawyers, etc, and more men in "female" roles? It seems like to this day, everyone is wired to believe that men make more not just in the same jobs, but in general because they are more likely to have higher-paying jobs than women do. I chose the path of museum educator not because I stayed with a "female" job, nor did I say I won't be a Wall St. executive because in the end, even when the glass ceiling breaks, women will still be facing unequal pay for equal work. Rather, I chose my profession because I believe in the role of non-profits in general, and specifically, the importance of museums to educate all of us with treasures from our own cultures as well as others, and to hopefully, make us less ignorant and more curious about other cultures.
Are men and women ever going to be the same? Biologically, we're set from day one to be different, and there are reasons in this alone to justify the need for a balance of masculinity and femininity. To Rudyard Kipling's poem, I would say that I wholeheartedly agree that (as he implies) a man is someone who is mature and responsible for his actions. The only thing I would add is that a real woman has these "male" characteristics, and a real man has the "female" characteristics of caring for others, and, if he is fortunate enough in his life, learning that the greatest love of all is when he is able to love someone more than himself.
If there's anything I take from the ongoing battle for women's equality, it would be that the moment we stop labeling jobs or inner traits with a gender bias, the sooner we in society can embrace what makes us different (such as ratio of upper and lower body strength), but not forget that in most instances, we should live in a world where our own unique intellectual/emotional intelligences (see Howard Gardner's "Multiple Intelligences" theory) determine our role on this earth.
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