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Sunday, March 07, 2004
Flavier: The parable of equality
By Juan Flavier
SEVERAL young men and women of the barrio were in a heated discussion about the notion of equality between the two sexes. Views ranged from the conservative to the liberated. Depth fluctuated from the profound to the ridiculous.
One point bugged the group. Was the idea of equality between the two sexes a recent development? They could only guess. To resolve the question, they decided to consult the oldest farmer of their village - a sage of sorts whose views were balanced and always studied.
The old man sat on a weather-beaten bench beneath the sampalok (tamarind) tree in his front yard. He was mending a net used for catching pugo (quail) in the rice fields.
One youngster went directly to the point. "Tata Ambo, could you please enlighten us. Were you already concerned with the equality between the two sexes when you were young? That must have been sixty to seventy years ago."
Tata Ambo smiled and replied with a quivery voice, "I am glad you realize I was young once. Let me answer you by sharing a clipping from a collection I have kept all these years. Wait just a moment." He lay his net on the bench and entered his hut. When he returned, he was holding with both hands a yellowish piece of paper.
"Unfortunately, the author is not known but let me read this to all of you," said Tata Ambo without ceremony.
"For every woman who is tired of acting weak when she is strong, there is a man who is tired of appearing strong when he feels vulnerable;
"For every woman who is tired of acting dumb, there is a man who is burdened with the constant expectation of knowing everything;
"For every woman who is tired of being called an emotional female, there is a man who is denied the right to weep and be gentle;
"For every woman who is called unfeminine when she competes, there is a man for whom competition is the only way to prove his masculinity;
"For every woman who is tired of being a sex object, there is a man who must worry about his potency;
"For every woman who feels tied down by her children, there is a man who is denied the full pleasure of shared parenthood;
"For every woman who is denied meaningful employment or equal pay, there is a man who must bear full financial responsibility for another human being;
"And for every woman who takes steps towards her own liberation, there is a man who finds that the path to freedom has been made a little easier."
(March 7, 2004 issue)
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