Evaporating feminism
June 28th, 2006
SISTER COMPASSION, my Dharma Teacher mentor at the Immanent Grove, took me aside to say she thought my feminism would melt away with the practice. She could understand if I wanted to do a PhD in philosophy, or history, or English Literature even - but feminist theory, No!
I said that Yes, I thought my anger might melt away; but not this gut thing I have - this visceral commitment to (somehow or other) improve the opportunities, rights and capacities for women to realise their potential. And to do that, I said, I think I need to understand it all more deeply - theoretically, philosophically. She replied that perhaps I should think about social work, or activism somewhere in the globe where women’s suffering is immediate, tangible, desperate. “But being in a stuffy library Natasha, just thinking about it? No! That won’t help.”
This was hard to hear and I’m still digesting, Or, as Sister Ji would say, ‘integrating’ it.
August 2nd, 2006 at 5:05 pm
Natasha
I am torn between agreeing with your teacher and agreeing with you, I have become a less radical feminist over the years, I think I will always have an intrinsic feminism, but I think that actually doing social and charity work and workign with women who need help and changing their daily lives in some ways would be better than doing a phd in feminist theory, because otherwise you are helping in a way to preach to the converted- educated middle class women, how much will that change?
Before I decided to do that I would think about what it is you really want to achieve, have you wokred for any women’s rights organizations yet? Somebody with your charisma and convictions can really make a difference and touch people’s lives, and it would be a shame to put that energy away in a library.