Am I A Feminist?

Am I A Feminist??When asked this question, I took time to answer so my truth could rise from within. The answer would claim its place on my personal foundation.

Truly I am a feminist in some form.?I totally support and encourage all women to be who they are or want to be.?To dream without hindrance, plan without restraint, apply without fear, and grow without boundaries.

I honour those who went before me and broke through the rigid barriers of the past.?As well, the wonderfully brave women that are now applying pressure to the existing barriers for our futures.?Even those, who stand their ground in the silence of their private struggles and those who finally says, "it’s enough".?

The deep emotions, I feel for those that speak up in the face of darkness, and those who have survived the traumas and inflictions of pain and despair upon their lives, bodies, and souls.?My heart breaks for those who crumble under the pressures of the world and who harbor a deep self-loathing.?Those who suffer and cry silent tears under the cloud of depression, loss, and loneliness.?Those who have lost their children, those who cannot have children, those who give up everything for their children, those who are incarcerated, those who want to change, and those who have changed.?

You will find me scattered throughout the above.?

As well, I must be honest, I support the men who have also faced the hardships of life.?The fatherless fathers raising the motherless child, learning from life, one lesson at a time.?Those raised in brutal, abusive homes and survived, trying to find ways of dealing with and expressing their pain.?The men who do not want to be the way they are, and so take hold of change with force and determination.?

The broken world producing broken people.?

In Africa, I held young men in my arms who cried because they did not know the love of a mother’s embrace.?I feel for those who do not know how to protect their families.??I pray for those who are lost, orphaned, sick, and torn by war.?I am thankful for the many great and good men, standing with their families, providing, and protecting.

I consider the elderly, whose journeys have impacted the lives of their families, friends, and associates.?Those who fought on our behalf and gave up so much of their lives.?Those whose stories have not yet been heard.?Those who have survived change and hardship and those who have seen unthinkable things.?I feel for those who are lonely and forgotten.?Those who undergo abuse in institutions and homes.?Those who feel young inside a crippling body and those whose minds confuse their existence. Those who no longer feel purpose or placement.?The souls fearing death and living in silent regret.

My heart beats with concern and love for the unborn, newborn, young children, and older youth. The uncertainty of the world they exist in, which causes them to fight for acceptance, approval, security, identity, and inclusion.?They are destined to emerge from within a pressure-filled open concept world where no action goes unnoticed, and every mistake magnified.?

As a parent, I understand the worry and the work that goes into the care of raising children and making hard decisions without a manual.?Balancing between independence, freedom, and safety.?My heart aches for the lost, abandoned, disregarded children and those whose lives are torn by war and broken families. Crimes must be punished and change commended.

Poverty, hunger, disease, and unrest throughout the globe have my emotions teetering between gratitude for what I have and my deep desire to help, however, I can.?

The endless issues and situations that expand my heart have been doing so since my early years.?

Mankind is brilliant, a mastermind of new technologies, voyages to other planets, creators of art, and much more.?

Mankind can also destroy – everything and in such a short amount of time.?

Somewhere between creation and destruction is a balance we struggle to find, a balance we must first find within ourselves.?

I believe I AM A HUMANIST.?