My Gift To You
When I’m looking for inspiration, data, entertainment, or something to space-out with, I go to YouTube. And, when I’m looking for interesting subjects that expand my worldview, I look for TED and TEDx videos. Last night I stumbled on to Paula Stone Williams who has an uncommon life that provides insight into the lack of equality in Man-Woman dynamics.
Paula Stone Williams is a transgender person who transitioned from being a man to being a woman. Her experiences as a woman shed powerful light on what women have been trying to tell we males for centuries. That men don’t have a clue about what women face everyday.
Why does Paula have a message that men might be more willing to hear? Paul, as a man, was very successful in life, with family, children and loving parents. Paul was raised with all the expectations placed on males and he, excelled. He took his responsibilities seriously. He behaved as a regular man, not understanding the position of privilege and power he was born into. But at some point, he began to realize that he wasn’t masculine but feminine, born into the wrong body. He transitioned into being a female and begin to learn about the world that she was now in.
I found that Paula spoke from a plural point of view, being able to compare similar interactions authentically. Paula verified what women have telling guys for millennium. Women are fully functioning human beings who are equal to men in all aspects. Yes men and women have differences due to gender, but these are literally skin deep: muscle mass, gender features, stamina (women have the ability to sustain effort longer than men). But to the internal differences that making us human, women are our equals.
By the end of her 15 minute presentation at Tedx, I better understood the things that we guys take for granted and causes our oppressive and disrespectful behavior. Men are trapped in this cycle too. By renouncing our privileges, acting as partners and not authorities we stop our oppression of those that we love. We can change, indeed, we are changing, but we need to do it knowingly and with greater speed.
In the end, we won’t need a male filter to make us think. Rather, we will hear women as we hear other men, openly and with respect for what she is saying.
Here is the talk that enlightened me: Paula Stone Williams; I’ve Lived as a Man and a Woman, Here Is What I’ve Learned. There are more talks available.
Happy Holidays and may 2020 be a more peaceful and accepting year than 2019.