I love this (and want to point out that there are men who have learned this lesson well, often by having been the target of physical violence:
"Most women know they won’t win a physical showdown with nearly half the population. That understanding has been hardwired into our lived experience, long before any argument heats up. So we lean into something else.
We use our words.
We use empathy.
We express, negotiate, soothe, and navigate.
Not because we’re weak, but because we know all too well that violence leaves both visible scars and hidden echoes. And because life, quite literally, flows into this world through our bodies.
We have survived the agony of birth and embraced the sanctity of nurturance. We know what it means to grow and love new life. So it breaks our hearts to witness the casual destruction of what we pour our bodies, minds, and spirits so intensely into creating.”
Thank you for helping me understand why my heart hurts each day. I feel joy and love so often as well, and I’m grateful for that. Holding both with grace is a challenge.
I absolutely agree. My favorite line in this piece is: “If we build a new world through domination, it will grow up to fear tenderness.”
This article needs to be seen by billions.
I love this (and want to point out that there are men who have learned this lesson well, often by having been the target of physical violence:
"Most women know they won’t win a physical showdown with nearly half the population. That understanding has been hardwired into our lived experience, long before any argument heats up. So we lean into something else.
We use our words.
We use empathy.
We express, negotiate, soothe, and navigate.
Not because we’re weak, but because we know all too well that violence leaves both visible scars and hidden echoes. And because life, quite literally, flows into this world through our bodies.
We have survived the agony of birth and embraced the sanctity of nurturance. We know what it means to grow and love new life. So it breaks our hearts to witness the casual destruction of what we pour our bodies, minds, and spirits so intensely into creating.”
Thank you for helping me understand why my heart hurts each day. I feel joy and love so often as well, and I’m grateful for that. Holding both with grace is a challenge.