RISING ABOVE PATRIARCHY

Patriarchy is a system of male dominated governance endemic within virtually all institutions, corporations, governments, religions, the military (of course) and families the world over. Of course there are exceptions, and times are changing, but still for the most part it is a male dominated world. Within the system of patriarchy it is often the most dominant male, the most aggressive, powerful, ruthless, competitive, charismatic and conspiring male who rises to the top. When these male characteristics are left unrestrained and even enshrined we suffer innumerable wars, ecological devastation, genocides, sexual abuse,near-apocalyptic revolutions (the communist revolutions in China and Russia last century accounted for over 100,000,000 deaths), family violence and abuse, racism and… well the list could go on couldn’t it? And certainly, under this Patriarchal dominance females, children, the gentle soul and those who are “other” in their sexual or gender roles became property, servants, inconveniences and at times God-ordained “less-thans”. Is now the time when we say, “Enough is enough!” Is there a path humanity can pioneer that will not only incorporate the positive traits of the male but perhaps even elevate our understanding of what it means to be male to a level of higher consciousness? I believe there is, and I believe we can chart this path here in the Steemit community. But first we must seek to understand the roots of Patriarchy, and dare I say, even appreciate, to some degree, the role males have played in the evolution of our species.

SEEK YE FIRST TO UNDERSTAND

If you saw the movie Patton perhaps you can recall the scene when the General walks onto the field after a battle to survey the terrible destruction. Dead men, burnt tanks, churned earth, blood and gore... the horrors of war are everywhere. Patton kneels to comfort a fallen officer and in a moment of deep reflection says, speaking of war, “I love it. God help me I do love it so. I love it more than my life.” And America loved Patton because he was the epitome of the conquering warrior. What are the roots of this, the most aggressive male behavior, war? Where does the system of patriarchy begin? I invite you to come with me on an archeological dig, so to speak. Let us uncover together the bones of our most distant ancestors and see what we can learn.

General Patton, US Army, WWII.

A couple of decades ago I went through a spiritual crisis that left me questioning if there was a higher power, a divine Creator or God. I decided the only path I could take to discover the “yea or nay” to this question was to seek it from nature, for I could not trust any man (or woman) in this most important quest. I knew nature would not lie and had no agenda. I could trust Her. This is what I found: my intimate relationship with nature informed me that there was a life force within all living things that preceded thought, that strove for one thing: survival. I observed that from the lowest of living things, amoebas, paramecium, lichens, to the apex of predators, man, this life force existed and cared not one bit for morals or laws or anything else. Survival was, and is, nature’s prime imperative. Of course this told me too, that the root, the fundamental motivator of all human behavior, both male and female was survival. The core emotion that drives the survival instinct is fear, primarily fear of death, of non-being, of loss of "self" into an unknown void.

The division of tasks between male and female in those distant beginnings were simply instinctive survival strategies. The male, however, due to his physical strength and the influence of testosterone, became the dominate force within clans and tribes; and as populations grew and humans became "civilized" male domination extended to government, military, religion, trade and most other facets of society. And yet, the emotion of fear was the constant hum in the soul of humanity - fear of scarcity, of illness, of loss, of war, of invasion, of strangers, of each other. Fear became, and remains, the great motivator. You may be thinking that, no, there is love. Indeed there is and we shall visit love soon in this brief essay.

It's rather amusing to observe the behaviors males have adopted to demonstrate their strength and superiority to other males and women. Have you seen, for example, the large plastic testicles some men place beneath the rear bumpers of, what I call, “testosterone trucks”? Kinda funny isn’t it? So much of what men do is driven (pun intended) by testosterone for dominance and survival. You've seen male dogs sniff each others rear ends, right? (Lot's of great information important to dogs is found there.) But men do the same thing...well, maybe not exactly, but you've seen men at social gatherings. What's the first thing men ask of each other when meeting for the first time? "What do you do?" A house painter, is much lower in male hierarchy than a bank president, I assure you.

Ah, but ladies, you have your own strategies too, that demonstrate your capacity to survive. Breast enhancement, makeup, the latest stylish hand bag, the middle school clique, your buff trim figure at the yoga studio, your home’s furnishings, consumerism, the pool-side party, even the Christmas letter letting all know your daughter was accepted into Harvard Law School, and so on. Oh, and how about that new Lexus?

The need to conquer and control became accepted human behavior in relationship to the earth, to nature itself. Even the God of the Old Testament gave mankind dominion over all the earth and all living things upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26) Of course God admonished man to be good stewards, however we know that soon enough humanity, primarily men, viewed nature as the enemy, as something that needed to be conquered. It wasn't until the later part of the 19th century here in the US that consideration of our environment was even thought of on any large scale. Of course, we’ve seen great strides in this arena of human behavior, and I believe that one day the norm will be cooperation and harmony with nature, not dominion.

Contemptuous Patriarchy also exempts women, and other less-thans, from roles they too have a right to play. For the most part women, until recently, have been excluded from any religious hierarchy or Priesthood. That was the certain and absolute domain of men. This exclusion included politics (for the most part), business, government, sports, the military, and even medicine to name a few!

One caution I would voice, and it certainly is my opinion and nothing else: as women revolt against eon’s of male dominance (and who can find any fault in so doing?) they often become like unto that which they despise: militant, angry, forceful, intolerant, and narrow minded. It seems to me they sometimes discard the wonderful feminine energies that give us hope that humanity can rise above our ignorance and ingrained survival-motivated behaviors in exchange for war against men...all men. I hope this may be but a temporary “necessity” and that women do not fall into the same trap men fell into...a survival driven instinct to dominate, to demonize what nature created for survival.

LETTING GO OF FEAR

The time has come for change. We must transform our hearts, our minds and our psyche into something greater than fear, greater than survival based behaviors, greater than patriarchy. We now have the power to destroy ourselves, and indeed unless we change, the suffering we will heap upon our heads will exceed anything we have ever witnessed. It's ironic but out of our fear we discover the motivation to change. We must, we simply must, rise up out of the clutches of fear. Is this even possible? Do enough of us want this? And how do we accomplish this?

I am no Prophet, no enlightened Master, but I do know this one thing: within our hearts, within each of us there is an Essence that draws us to a greater reality, that pulls us up out of the thick, sticky, muck of fear, and that Essence is Love. I am reminded of a favorite quote by Thomas Merton, "Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts...the core of their reality, the person that each one is in the eyes of the Divine. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed.... I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other." Doesn't this speak to you? Doesn't this ring true? For it is you know.

Our belief in a limited self ensnared in a threatening world is such a strong, eons-long ingrained habit that it may seem almost impossible to accomplish such a radical transformation: from fear to Love. Indeed is it even possible? I believe it is, simply because so many have proven it to be so within their own hearts. They have found the inner core of Love, a Love that permeates all things. I believe this is the truth, this is our original goodness. We are more than animals driven by survival. However, it does take work, dedication, an openness to possibility, a true desire to be Free, to accomplish this unveiling of the Heart. And it must be done one person at a time. This then is the task of our Age: to transform ourselves, to transform the world. A poem is in order, don't you think?

MIRROR

I would be deep still water
Reflecting Love
To those who would know themselves.

I yearn to be Peace,
A mirror...
Look and see the truth.

I shall rest in the Wise Heart
A lamp,
A medicine,
Gentle music,
For the one who seeks Freedom.

WHAT OF STEEMIT?

i have caught the vision from so many of you that believe Steemit can be so much more than just another typical enterprise focused solely on income, requiring us to scrabble over the bodies of those we have risen above. Indeed, I have seen remarkable generosity (thank you @wwf), genuine care and compassion, a sincerity and authenticity rarely found outside this domain. I dare to hope, to dream, that here, in Steemit, we can create a different paradigm, a reality of heart. Can you imagine such a thing? Here in our hands is the opportunity to create a new world. Perhaps from such a small thing as you and I embracing each other in love here in Steemit the world will become a better place. Let it be so.

Namaste...I honor the divine within you.