Society and Women
If you find this blog post controversial, I offer no apologies, instead my aim is to make a concrete and self-pondering (if that's even a concept) observation on the moral decay in modern society. Call it an invite to discourse and reflection if you will. The framework to organize your thoughts when reading this blog, is steeped within thinking about nature and past historical societies. It is nature, or Mother Gaia, Mother Earth, or whichever denomination you want to assign to it, that gives our entire existence a chance! It is within this framework of thinking where I am deriving my thoughts from.
Why does nature possesses matriarch hierarchies in the animal kingdom, but not within humans? Orcas, elephants, lemurs, and spotted hyenas are all matriarch-centric2. Nature leaves things to act according to its nature (pun intended). It allows them to chart their own path: e.g., if female coyotes require to breed extra pups to ensure survival of the herd 1, it inherently does so. This has attributed to their survival, even while being a highly hunted species! A band of coyotes epitomizes adaptability, resilience, teamwork, and balance in that societal hierarchyibid.
See, modern society has pulled a wool over nature's eye (I am associating nature with woman in this post of course). Wicked men have found ways to create a 'veil' ... that 'veil' being empty promises of independence, unnatural standards of beauty, and total weakening of a woman's organic strength, i.e. give life, nurture that life and complement the strengths of the depositor of that life.
Let us take Spartan society for an observation.
During the Classical Period in Greece (5th-4th centuries BCE), Spartan women enjoyed remarkable rights and autonomy that were unparalleled in other Greek city-states. Unlike their Athenian counterparts, who were relegated to secondary status, women in Sparta had the ability to own land, inherit property, and engage in business activities. They were also better educated2.
Sparta's legal system was reformed by King Lycurgus around the 9th century BCE. He advocated for equality among citizens and emphasized the physical and educational development of both boys and girls. In contrast to Athens, often referred to as the "cradle of democracy," women in Sparta had an active role in political and social aspects of life, while Athenian women were excluded from these areasibid.
However, the Spartans were not without faults, as the decay of that society began when the Spartans failed to keep Lycurgus' legal reforms, but they did achieve gender equality among their citizenry, and one of the major underpinnings of that achievement was the Spartan women, very akin to the matriarch-centric roles, female elephants play in nature.
Parabellum.
References
- Debra A. Carlson , Eric M. Gese, Reproductive Biology of the Coyote (Canis latrans): Integration of Mating Behavior, Reproductive Hormones, and Vaginal Cytology, Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 89, Issue 3, 5 June 2008, Pages 654–664, https://doi.org/10.1644/06-MAMM-A-436R1.1
- Mark, Joshua J. "Spartan Women." World History Encyclopedia. Published June 14, 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/123/spartan-women/