Celebrating Womanhood: I am Woman I am Paradox

That which is yielding conquers the strong and the soft overcomes that which is hard--Lao Tse

There is a new woman out there. You can recognize her if you look carefully. She’s the one who blithely embraces the typical man’s world with panache, style and a confidence that may daunt without being hostile. She has no motive in doing this except to be the best she can be. In truth, she exudes the apparently paradoxical qualities of compassion and strength. She looks you directly in the eye, is openly vulnerable, sincerely human, yet ultimately powerful. She may intimidate lesser men.

Such a woman exudes a genuine self-esteem and warmth that is charismatic, and demonstrates quiet competence with humility. She is intelligent without the need to intimidate. She is a natural leader without being selfish or tyrannical. This is ultimately the power of woman: to lead with compassion. She is defining her world; not letting the world define her.

She naturally defies stereotyping. You could describe her as a hybrid of two worlds. Her karma and energy encompasses both feminine and masculine. In reality, she is neither “woman” nor “man”: she is divinely human. This scares most people, both men and woman. It takes both out of their comfort zone, out of their safe stereotype.

I hear my son’s friends throwing around terms like “girly girl” or “tomboy” without truly understanding the stereotypes they are conveying; without understanding that by using these labels they are reducing womankind to something far less complicated and into something manageable, safe and easy--and we're far from that.

"Woman" carries the power of “motherhood”, of noble goodness and kindness in her all-embracing heart. She is the fluid yielding movement of a rushing brook cutting through rock. She is the quiet harmonious power of a bending willow, diverting a bustling wind. She is the fierce courage of a mother bear defending her cub and the future of her world. She is Gaia. Mother Earth. Boadicea. Annie Oakley. She is Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Anne Frank, Mother Teresa, Mary Wollstonecraft, Rachel Carson, Lynn Margulis, Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter. She is you and me.

Today's western woman is the “sleeping artist” of the world. She is our hero on a journey, the altruist who will save the world. She is in the position to rise up from the mundane “ordinary” world of complacent self-imposed ignorance and challenge the incumbent tyranny of small men. She is in the position to challenge all self-interested parties from government dictatorships to multi-national corporations who lack vision or compassion.

She only needs to embrace the inner wisdom and beauty that time has etched so beautifully on her face. She only needs to embrace the paradox that is woman.

Photos:

Joan of Arc

Elizabeth 1

Anne Frank

Rachel Carson

Lynn Margulis

Antoinette Hunziker-Ebneter

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.