Fierce #10
In a society where words like ‘modernization’ and ‘empowerment’ are thrown at us every single day, I still cannot help but wonder, if we really are moving towards a better place?
Today’s women are amongst the brightest and biggest achievers, with the drive and zeal to change the world. Having considered myself as a liberal, matured, ‘intellectually-evolved’ person I happen to come across many amazing, inspiring young women around me, who can make miracles come true and even move mountains. But, I still wonder if we as a society are really equipping or entirely empowering them?
Living in a society that on one side seems to have an urge to be more westernised but is also proudly rooted in traditional culture, the polarised views and unanimity on this subject leads me to wonder if complete modernization can ever occur in India? and the morepressing question as to if we frankly need it?
The women of previous generations, have been represented as underpowered or unfortunate (many of them rightly so). Without the power of independence, being unable to make their own decisions had forced them to let other elements in their lives such as their parents, partners, fate or even “the stars” to choose for them. This has interestingly enough, led many of them to lead lives of unnoticed agony, mundaneness and even severe cases of ill-treatment in their marriages, widowhood and much more. What hurts is to see that these are occurrences in this very generation too. Women of those times were not given a choice in the first place, and eventually had to get accustomed to and adapt to even survive. After all, they did have “the stars” take the blame. Which leads me to believe that Ignorance was indeed their key to happiness.
However, how different is it for ‘us’ (young, radiant women of today) ? Though we are shown and promised the highest galore and possibilities at the end of the tunnel, it seems like we are always pulled back into the dark pit where we just started to crawl out of. In many ways, everything has changed around us but nothing has changed for us.
Do each of us really feel powerful to voice ourselves or take the blame and shame of our wrong decisions? Or are we truly courageous to face society with all our scars and doubts? While we consider ourselves to be equipped with the ‘liberation of the mind’, are we escaping the reality?
Why have the freedom of choice if we cannot make the choice without being misjudged, deprecated and denigrated by our peers? Why just KNOW what we are capable of, if we can never BE what we are capable of? I think, every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss. Are we here because we are fledglings and ammeters to these new set of emotions and ideals? Should we really take a step forward and live our lives on our own terms? Even if not us, will our successors come out from this emotional battlefield as winners? Or should move a step backward and live under the warmth and shield of “the stars” like our mothers or grandmothers might have?
More importantly, will our society ever let us spread our wings and reach the skies? Or will it at the least hold our legs and fix it to the ground of reality? Or will be lost floating forever?
So, maybe ignorance really IS bliss ?!
