The binding force for every family is almost always the female. Be they transmission of values, character, knowledge, the female members play a vital role.
If you develop a man you develop an individual, if you develop a woman you develop a family. The bedrock of a healthy, happy, prosperous civilisation is the family.
Societies that have valued and respected the feminine’s contribution in all its aspects as much as they did the masculine, have been found to be deep, truthful, robust and resilient. All these traits that help realise the best in human potential.
High respect and regard for the female has been the bedrock of Indian civilisation for millennia and one of its secret of great cultural, social and economic success. Greed, arrogance and power from within and religious, cultural influences from without had minimised the value of women in Indian society. As a consequence India became easy prey for exploitation, loot and degradation.
Guru Nanak ji, the expounder of Universal Truths which is commonly known as ‘Sikhism’, awakened humanity to the need to value the all pervasive feminine aspects in Creation, The Guru says,
“From woman, man is born;
Within woman, man is conceived;
To woman he is engaged and married.
Woman becomes his friend;
Through woman, the future generations come.
When his woman dies, he seeks another woman;
To the woman he is bound.
So why call her bad?
From her, kings are born.
From woman, woman is born;
Without woman, there would be no one at all”
Guru Nanak ji’s teachings have had a profound and positive transformational effect and helped reinforce and revive the value and respect for women in general. This has been one of the key elements in the success of Sikhism as a way of life.
Respect for the other cannot be taught nor legislated, it can however be learnt.
If one is guided to realise the transitionary nature of life, be it our body, beauty, strength, wealth, status, or position we will discover ourselves living simpler and healthier lives.
By associating with good and noble people, by contemplation and listening to the Guru’s advice we can awaken the consciousness. Then we need not be told by others as to what is right or wrong for we will know it.
When there’s focus on awakening rather than teaching, we come to respect not only the woman but all of humanity and Creation. To respect is not to pamper, or worship but rather to cope with and accept that the nature of women is different from, but complimentary to men.
To respect the woman is to respect ourselves.
