Language Pride…

I BELIEVE YOU CAN HAVE A PROMINENT NATIONAL LANGUAGE AND STILL EMBRACE AND ENCOURAGE OTHER LANGUAGES. WE ARE A DIVERSE NATION AND WE SHOULD RESPECT OTHER PERSONS AND ENCOURAGE THERE CULTURE, NOT SUPPRESS IT.

LOVE IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.

If we cannot communicate with words, we should think outside the box instead of getting upset and discouraged by other people’s differences and/or learning curve. I spent 2 months in a country where I could not communicate for a while verbally, but it was a rich and rewarding experience and helped me grow as a person. In my travels no one ever demanded that I speak their language (French or Spanish) but they would encourage me if I did want to learn, and they would also ask me to teach them bits of my language. This was a great way to bond; experiencing one another’s culture intimately, is tremendously unifying, and it was priceless.

Yes it is beneficial and helpful to have a prominent or universal language for communication and commerce, but do we have to have this at the expense of diversity and multi/bilingualism?

I will admit I myself have gotten frustrated with situations that are relative, but I catch myself and remind myself that I am not the center of the universe, other people’s struggles matter too. Obstacles are opportunities to maneuver and overcome, they should not be knocked down and pushed out of the way to save pride. I think maybe people are afraid of loosing some sort of “National” identity, but really diversity is what makes US beautiful and special.

I wish more people would see this and embrace it, instead of acting out of fear, which just causes unnecessary disunity.
But hey, that’s just my opinion. Peace.
~AbbieLu

Why Are Women Marching?

This question is being asked a lot, by both men and women, and it completely perplexes me that it even needs to be asked. However, I suppose the fact that it is indeed asked, is part of the very reason right there; not enough people realize that we have not come as far as we think we have in terms of gender equality.

When did good enough become good enough?

Aside from politics and wage issues please just look at your own life; are you really treated as an equal by your male colleagues, your husband, father, friends, brothers, etc. truly equal? If you are (by all of those that apply) then you are very fortunate and I applaud you. However, the majority of women cannot get through that list and count themselves as fortunate. What makes it worse, is that many, possibly even most, of these people believe they do treat the women in their lives as equals. We don’t examine our behavior and/or hold ourselves accountable. People use words like “feminists!” and “crazy women!” like they are dirty words, and it devalues real issues.

 Remember there are extremists in every group, religion, and sect. etc. I acknowledge that there are women who take advantage, or who themselves do not want to be treated as equals; and that there are men who are not like this, who truly value women and treat them as an equal.
But please be certain before you take the credit.

One of the biggest arguments I hear is some variation of this “you can’t do equal work, because it’s a fact that by nature women are not as strong as men.” This could apply at home or work. This statement is extremely naive. The people making it are mistaking gender sameness with gender equality. Woman are not fighting so that they can be treated/viewed like men, they are fighting for the same rights and privileges as men. Maybe there are some women who are, but not all of us. Nobody should be hired for a job they physically or mentally cannot do, male OR female, but their sex itself should not be the reason. There are women who happen to be stronger than the average man, and there are men who happen to be weaker than the average woman. So, if a person is not fit for a job, they should not get that job, but if they are and do, then they should be paid the same and given the same opportunities whether male or female…

The second biggest anti-equality comment I hear is some variation of “women are just complaining, they want to be treated “equally” but they still want guys to pay for dates and open doors for them, and only guys aren’t supposed to hit girls… That’s not equality…” This confuses me even more. When did treating someone with dignity, respect, and/or love, to be kind or affectionate, get confused with equality. Would you hold a door open for an elderly man, but then say “since I did that I am that persons superior, and they do not deserve to be treated as my equal..?” I personally have held open doors for men for one reason or another, this is something that should not be “expected” but merely appreciated when anyone does it. When it comes to assault, assault is assault and is treated so in court, not just when a man hits a woman. No one should ever hit anyone I hope women will start to understand this as well. So, If you don’t want to pay for a woman’s meal, or hold a door open for her, or help her when she can’t lift something you can, then simply don’t… It means more anyway when the gesture comes from someone who is being genuine.

These are some of the gender bias’ and assumptions that women are trying to be free of. Men have them too, and I hope they can break away from them as well. I believe people should also stand up against male gender assumptions and bias’, and that we would be a better society for it. The fight for women’s equality is real and valid. Hopefully more people will start to open their minds more and not just see the fight solely as an extremist feminist battleground.

We all have individualized strengths, weakness’, and needs; and what job we do, what sort of family dynamic we do or don’t choose, and/or the relationship roles we take on, should all reflect those individual characteristics.

It’s about WHO you are not what you are.
~AbbieLu

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Cafe Book Bean

January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

On this annual day of commemoration here are a few associated books:

These are two wonderful gifts I received last Christmas.

“The Holocaust Museum In Washington” This book was written by Jeshajahu Weinberg, the founding director of the museum. There are hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs throughout the book–photos of kitchen utensils, hair, shoes, forged documents, artificial limbs, and luggage and prayer shawls confiscated from the victims. Haunting and terrifying are photos showing charred corpses of concentration camp inmates, a starved prisoner in Buchenwald, a young Jewish partisan woman being hanged in Minsk in 1941, Danish Jews escaping to Sweden on a small boat, and Hungarian Jews arriving in Auschwitz in 1944. The book provides a well-rounded history of  the Holocaust, but I would still really love to visit this museum in person!

“Once We Were Brothers” a fictional novel by Ronald…

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Give me a break..

For those who choose it, being a parent is a blessing, and most Moms are willing to make sacrifices to be a good one (though it’s normal to try and fail.) However, not getting regular breaks, makes a person less successful, not more successful. So, I would ask the question “Why is it that if a Mom does want/need to work and/or wants/needs to spend time alone reconnecting with herself or her friends, she (more often than not) has to stress and jump through hoops (that usually make it not worth it, if not impossible) but it’s automatically assumed that a father is intitled to these things, and carried out without thought, stress, or hoops..?
~AbbieLu

My Birthday Tribute: Poe

Cafe Book Bean

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”
~Edgar Allan Poe

EDGAR ALLAN POE

Today is my birthday, and I am honored to share it with Edgar Allan Poe, born January 19th 1809. Poe was a brilliant writer, and I love his work. I admire the deep sentiment within his work, which draws you in. His style is not for everyone, it’s sometime long and daunting, but there is beauty laced within the lines that you must keep reading to find.

     Quotes by Poe:

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.

Hauntingly. Mysterious. Beautiful.What are your thoughts on Poe?

You can’t spell Poet without Poe 😉

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Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute

Cafe Book Bean

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

In honor of his birthday January 15th and the celebration of MLK day:

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Via Goodreads: King scholar Clayborne Carson has constructed a remarkable first-person account of Dr. King’s extraordinary life. Beginning with his boyhood, the book portrays King’s education as a minister, his ascendancy as a leader of the Montgomery bus boycott, his pivotal role in the civil rights demonstrations in Washington, D.C.

Rated: 4.6 on amazon.com

This is a great book if you want a deeper level of understanding of Dr. King’s spirit, and his intentions in the Civil Rights Movement.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

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