Being surrounded by kind, intelligent, giving, and strong women is a blessing. I should know! I have been married to my best friend and the mother of my children since December 2001. It has been an incredible journey that has taken us across the Pacific Ocean and back. I cannot imagine spending my life with someone else.
Five beautiful young princesses call me Daddy, all of which call Indonesia their home (even though they have United States passports).
The idea of International Women's Day does not go unnoticed by me. Not only am I blessed to be both husband and father, I have lived life with my family in a country that is very different from the one I grew up in.
I believe that women should have freedom!
I abhor the fact that rape, slavery, trafficking, child marriage, and the like still exist in our world. It saddens me to know that the majority of victims of these atrocities are women and girls. It saddens me even more that men are not taking a stand. Not only are men not taking a stand, we (as a whole) are participating in the abuse and objectification of women.
And that must stop. We must change ...
- our cultural biases against women
- our objectification of their bodies
- the minimization of their minds and intellect
- the rationalization of our distasteful thoughts
- the denial of our misdeeds
I hope and I dream of a better future, but all I see is a fallen and a broken world - a world where women are commonly used by men. This must stop! It has to stop, or history will condemn us for enslaving an entire gender. I do not want this for my wife and daughters. I want them to experience freedom.
I believe that this freedom should be for all women!
But freedom is not just those that I care about most or for women whom I interact with on a daily basis. Freedom should be experienced by all women, regardless of language, nationality, ethnicity, or religion.
If we honestly examine our hearts, we must attempt that the effort to bring about freedom rarely touches all the corners of the world. We gladly demonstrate and march, but rarely do we take enough action for ...
- women who don't have a roof to sleep under tonight
- women who have been purchased to sleep in a strange man's bed
- women from ethnic minority people groups who are being raped and killed by invading forces
- women who are oppressed by religious and cultural traditions.
The freedom that I speak of should be for all women, both at home and abroad.
- For women who look just like you and those who do not.
- For those who trust your God, those who worship 1000 gods, or those who curse the name of God.
- For every woman, regardless of body shape or dress size.
- For every woman, from the womb to the cradle to the grave.
I want my daughters to enjoy FREEDOM!
I have hopes and dreams for my daughters. I want them to live in a world that is better than mine but prepare them to live in a world that is worse. I want to help equip them to face their future challenges as well as enjoy the blessings that may come their way.
I want them to be free. Free to ...
- defend their bodies
- seek an appropriate education (4-year college, community college, no college, apprenticeship)
- marry if that is what they choose
- be a mother if that is what they choose
- choose a career or choose to be a homemaker
- make a difference for their generation and the generations that will come
Final Thoughts
International Women's Day is not lost on me. I have too much at stake. I have too many ladies in my life for me to "forget" about the huge need. I have seen too many women from all parts of the world to dismiss this movement as something that stays at home.
I cannot change the world by myself, but I can start taking action where I live with those around me. I choose to do this so that my wife and daughters (and their daughters and their daughters) can experience freedom.