PORTUGAL

The vocation of Cristina is sensitive and lives in her spirit, intending to spread spirituality and sensitize the world to light and love. The main themes and focus of her work consist of the invisibility of what is beyond human vision, constant spiritual growth, conscious of the union of everything and everyone. For this, Cristina turns to the figurative with analysis and preferential study of the human being, landscapes, symbologies, and nature with a special focus on flowers, plants, animals, and birds. Always keeping in mind the meaning of the “objects” in the study allied to what she intends to convey. Cristina transforms “what she sees”, into what she “feels” with the eyes of her inner self. To these “ingredients,” she mixes the abstract with the colors and their respective messages, in a harmonious color complement. In all of Cristina’s work, she always gives a personal and unique stamp to every painting, which she intends to stand out from the visible reality, to allow the entrance of the dream, of the realization of ideas, and the disclosure and construction of a better new world.
For Cristina art is life, light, vibration, harmony and love. Art is EVERYTHING!

Amira Hassan: Can you share with us your story as an artist, how you started your journey in writing, tell us more about your creative background and career so far?

Cristina: How I started – A deep depression gripped me for years. I didn’t even feel it, because I was dead inside. To save myself, I had to delve into myself and discover myself. With the help of the psychologist and psychiatrist, I went back to my origins: what did you like to do as a child? What made me smile? With difficulty, I realized that painting and writing were the loves of my childhood and adolescence. At the same time, I turned to spirituality, and vegetarianism which gave me support for the changes that were taking place within me. I didn’t go back to the job I had at a city council, I finished my master’s thesis in African studies and turned to the arts which was without a doubt my salvation, discovering an unbelievable strength that encouraged me to continue even without much family support. “Conhecer o Teatro em Moçambique”, more scientific writing, was my first book and, progressively, I discovered other artistic valances that I didn’t even imagine. Children’s writing accompanied the discovery of illustration; poetry the description of the painting; the chronicles and the romance writing were a growing part of my discovery that, along with the storytellers, completed my feminine and personal Ying, with the I of my name Maia becoming Maya in celebration of the identity discovered in this adventure. Currently, I am completely cured and without taking any depressant medication. It is a past of pain that reminds me that the transformation of any one of us is possible and that the disease does not have to embarrass us but rather dignify us for being able to accept and overcome it.

Creative experience – I like to study each topic and “sleep under the subject” as is customary to say. I do rehearsals, research, and sketches and each creation is an experimental adventure.
Career so far – I edited three books: The first “Conhecer o Teatro em Moçambique” based on my Master’s thesis in African Studies and it was a pioneering book on the original and sensational theater of Mozambique. The book was sold in Portugal and Mozambique, and served as a study for university students from the Faculty of Maputo in the study of the area.
The other two books belong to my children’s collection of seven volumes, also illustrated by me, which is also a “Fadinha Lótus” brand (the entire collection is translated into English and Spanish and each book has its corresponding coloring book). With these children’s books, I went to several schools in Portugal, where I told the story with puppets and theater and encouraged and carried out several projects around books.
I have other unpublished children’s books, poetry, and novels. With the chronicles, “Ver e Sentir”, I participated in newspapers of Abrantes Journal; Daily Journal of Aveiro; Pinhel Falcon; Online Root, and FM Radio Aveiro.
In poetry, I participated in several poetic newspapers and gatherings, and several national and international poetic anthologies, culminating in a poetic prize in Argentina.
In painting, I am an award-winning painter and I have participated in important exhibitions in the world like Spain; Germany; France; Italy; USA, Austria, Scotland; Sweden; Hungary; England; Japan; Portugal; Denmark; Switzerland; Morocco; Belgium; Luxembourg; Ukraine; Algeria; India. My work has been reported in international interviews and published in International specialized Magazines and Art books.

Amira Hassan: Your Poem “Flying Ashes” has been accepted in the international poetic anthology, which is a great piece of writing, the poem talks about how the human kind’s relationship with Nature is becoming more darker in metaphor and in reality, kindly describe this dynamic change that is happening in our world at the moment?

Cristina: It’s a bottom-up relationship: destroying what matters without looking at the means to do so. We are part of nature and we depend on it. By mistreating our Mother Nature, we are mistreating ourselves as a human race, revealing our great evolved backwardness. Fortunately, the younger ones denote more evolved spirits with an awakening of conscience that shakes the current foundations and embarrasses the older ones.

Amira Hassan: I really love these sentences from your submission, which says:

 “Oh darkness, speak to me.

 So much blackness frightens and disturbs. 

Fields, forests, meadows, dyed black, 

will encourage the collective demands of beings. 

Animals run, trees and flowers cry, 

in a suffering heartbeat of the Earth, 

in screaming echoes that no one wants to know, 

lost in so many disordered directions. 

Why, foolish man, do you do that?”

Can you share the story behind creating this piece of poetry?

Cristina: In 2017, there were huge fires both in the USA and in my country, Portugal. The images on television of the arson destruction of a country so far away, the Portuguese landscapes once so verdant and wooded, in which many of them I used to walk around transformed into the dust of blackness, left me deeply desolate and disappointed with human conduct, with no respect for any type of property or life, be it plant, animal.
In this context, this poem is an alert to the scourge of fires, as a heartfelt tribute to the victims of these and all fires spread across the world. Even in different continents with their own cultures and customs, the pain of loss, death, and misfortune always smells like the poisoned perfume of SUFFERING. The Human being, has a strong odor, that crosses oceans, crosses borders, and climbs mountains screaming that WE ARE ALL ONE and that your suffering affects my world and mine affects yours. They are the invisible mechanisms unattainable by human materialistic blindness, which constitute the last piece that remains to be understood to carry out the necessary quantum leap for the evolution of humanity.

Amira Hassan: I love how you ended the poem with such positive message about Change, which we encourage in the 4th issue of the magazine, in the following lines you wrote:

“Where forgiveness and peace, all blackness will replace. 

And finally, those same fluttering ashes,

 into warm waves of love will be transformed, 

with wounds healed, and hearts touched by light. 

Together, for the construction of a new smile.”

Amira Hassan: I consider myself an environmentalist and I love to see positive change regarding the issues that we are facing in the world such as climate change which is affecting our relationship with Nature. Would you consider yourself a nature lover? And what kind of change would you like to see in the world?

Cristina: Without a doubt, I am a nature lover. I love seeing flowery and green fields bathed by translucent lines of water. I love hugging ancient trees, smelling the scent of flowers and listening to birdsong.  I love walking with my beloved little dog who is panting radiantly with the wind waving his ears and his nose moving sniffing natural smells. Yes, nature moves me.

I would like humanity to become aware of the objective of life’s journey: moral evolution, which is the only one that advocates spiritual evolution. That they become aware that the route of war, evil, envy, and scarcity is delay and loss of global collective evolution.

”Behold the destruction caused by you.

Repent yourself! You’re still on time.

With sincerity embrace all realms.

On a regenerative walk, evolution walks.”

Earth’s regeneration is in progress. Today’s children are more evolved and will be young people and adults with more collective, peaceful, and nature-preservation awareness. May wars end and peace make way. My respect for races, ages, and genders replace xenophobia, prejudice, and racism. May humanity become aware of the continuity of life, of cause and effect, and the damage caused by human imperfection. May materialism give way to charity, humanity, and love.

Amira Hassan: What advice would you give to our Younger generation in terms of handling environmental change, ways to have a loving relationship with nature, and tasks they add to their daily lives to support nature?

Cristina: They set an example with the respect shown for natural things, which begins first of all at each one’s home.
Sensitivity, respect, and awareness that everything and everyone is related. A well cared for nature will revert to a better-supported society with a higher morality. Stones, plants, animals are spiritual essences in evolution and, when better treated and loved, they will contribute more to a positive futuristic terrestrial atmosphere.

Please follow Cristina on her social media accounts, and you can view her artworks on her website.

www.cristina-maya-caetano.com

https://www.facebook.com/FadinhaLotus/

https://www.facebook.com/forgiveproject/

This mother’s day, The Uncoiled is shedding light on how women are affected by depression.

Did you know? Depression is a fairly common condition. More than 264 million people in the world suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization, and many of those people are parents — moms and dads with rich families. Though the media often portrays those who suffer from depression as loners, the fact is that depression knows no bounds. It is unconstrained and unbounded.

Depression affects women especially mothers in various ways. They miss out on many happy times and unique experiences with their children as a result of their depression.

Depression Affects 1 Out Of Every 10 Women!

Depression affects many women in various forms, ranging from clinical and seasonal depression to postpartum depression and bipolar disorder. In fact, women are more likely than men to be affected by depression. Women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, according to statistics. The cause of the discrepancy is unknown. Some research claim that hormonal shifts are to blame, while others claim that living conditions and societal stressors are to blame.

The trigger, on the other hand, is unimportant. What matters is how we help, assist, and handle people who suffer from depression.

Certain Types Of Depression Are Unique To Women.

Although depression affects people of all races, sexes, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds, women are more susceptible to certain forms of depression. For example, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a serious form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that affects women in the weeks leading up to menstruation.

Depression Looks Different In Women Than It Does In Men.

The signs and symptoms of depression are well-known. Depression, for example, is characterised by feelings of grief, hopelessness, helplessness, or apathy. Agitation and sleep disturbances are also common, as is a loss of interest in daily activities. People who suffer from depression tend to sleep excessively or not at all. However, some depression symptoms are more common in women than in men.

“Women and men feel depression differently,” Dr Richelle Whittaker — an educational psychologist specializing in maternal mental health.

Women often report a lack of enthusiasm, diminished interest in favourite hobbies, changes in sleeping or eating habits, and/or a general feeling of depression, hopelessness, remorse, worthlessness, or helplessness. Concentration problems are also normal, as are suicidal thoughts.

Men, on the other hand, are more likely to show signs of anger or provocation. They’re much more likely to partake in high-risk activities like drinking and driving or increasing their alcohol consumption.

Depression Can Be Treated.

If you’re depressed, keep in mind that you’re not alone. You’re not crazy, and you’re not by yourself. There is reason to be hopeful: depression is treatable. You can and should seek help from a counsellor, psychologist, therapist, trusted physician, community leader, and/or friends. If you think you’re depressed, speak to your doctor or seek support from a psychiatrist or other mental health professional.

How To Help Someone Suffering From Depression?

Although it’s difficult to see someone you care for in pain, there’s a lot you can do to help. Do not hesitate to inquire about your loved one’s feelings on a regular basis.

Listen to them without feeling embarrassed, judged, or stigmatised. Keep the remarks like “but you have so much to be happy about” to yourself.

Don’t attempt to repair them because you won’t be able to. Give empathy and companionship instead.

Make plans to get your significant other out of the house. Take a stroll with them, have lunch with them, organise get-togethers, and so on. Provide transportation to and from counselling. It’s not about what you do; it’s about how persistent and present you are.

Also, inquire as to what they want. They may not have a response — at least not right away — but as someone who has struggled with depression for many years, I can assure you: Just being there helps.

Read more by this author on mental health https://theuncoiled.com/2021/04/18/unexpressed-emotions/

Visit https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/gender-and-women-s-mental-health to know how gender affects women’s mental health.

My heart cries every time a girl is, treated less for her own safety. It pains when her voice is silenced to respect the male counterparts. And when she should sit proper, because that’s how girls are supposed to sit. How we are taught, that it’s us and our clothing choices which invite the inevitable. These mannerisms and so-called morals that are thrown upon us are sadly the reality of the world we live in. Also, it is sadder when it comes from our parents. When the ones that were supposed to let us loose: traps us instead. It is not just someone’s story: but of every other woman I have met. In one form or the other, there have been instances.

 For someone, it’s extreme: and, for someone, it’s just fine and a form of care. And they cross the line when they finally say teach your daughter right.

So this is to all my fellow sisters out there living their life freely. As we break the barrier that society throws at us, we see the true change. We witness the world with more clarity and less filter. Let us use this to empower our kind. Let us empower the strong heart on the other side of the barrier, as we know what exactly teaching our daughter right is.

The virus has not only been a public health emergency, but it has also had an economic impact on the world. Reduced productivity, loss of life, business closures, trade disruption, and the annihilation of the tourism industry have

all had significant economic consequences around the world.

The economic impact of the pandemic has been heterogeneous across the countries’ income distribution, in addition to marked health disparities, particularly in countries without universal healthcare coverage. It has been apparent as the health and human toll surged, and it proved to be the world’s greatest economic shock in decades.

The pandemic has caused and will continue to cause substantial damage to humanity. Unprecedented progress in global health over the last 20 years has halted, and economic growth has already plummeted, resulting in a global recession the likes of which we haven’t seen since World War II.

Deep recessions caused by the pandemic are projected to leave long-term scars leading to decreased investment, human capital

erosion related to lost jobs and education, and disruption of global trade and supply chains.

The pace at which the crisis has engulfed the global economy may provide insight into the depth of the recession. The rapid pace of global growth forecast downgrades suggests that more downward revisions are possible, as well as the need for additional policy intervention by policymakers in the coming months to support economic activity.  

Despite the previous certainty that the threats of the present and future — the climate, rising inequality, and extremism — necessitated massive international coordination, all remained the same, with populist and incompetent leadership exacerbating nationalist feelings about the planetary common good.

Most governments around the world underestimated the risks of rapid COVID-19 spread and have been particularly disruptive in their crisis response. Since disease outbreaks are unlikely to go away real soon, multilateral action is needed to save lives while also safeguarding economic prosperity.

COVID-19 may be a “wake-up” call for world leaders to come together in facing the global challenges.

Health Crisis, New World Order and Global Shifts; What is the need of the hour?

New World Order or not; some things needs to be changed.

The world after COVID-19 is unlikely to be the same as it was before. The effect of the pandemic is exacerbating many trends already underway in the global economy.  Choices made during crises, as history has proven, will affect the world for decades. The need for collective action to create economies that produce sustainable economic development, stability, and protection for everyone will remain crucial.

The acknowledgement that the old order will not be restored and that any attempts to do so will be futile. If we accept this, then this tragic virus may force us to address the planet’s lack of a sense of community. Depending on the decisions taken in the coming days and months, it may be the midwife of better global and local systems that emerge stronger to face the challenges.

Decisions taken now would have far-reaching consequences.  In order to offer equal consideration to the needs and rights of the two-thirds of the world’s population who live in the Global South, power imbalances in global institutions must be reversed.

The crisis emphasizes the need for immediate action to mitigate the pandemic’s health and economic effects, protect vulnerable communities, and pave the way for a long-term recovery. Strengthening public health systems, addressing the challenges raised by informality, and drafting legislation are essential for emerging market and developing countries, many of which face challenging vulnerabilities.

The greatest chance of achieving public health strategies and facilitating a robust global recovery is through global collaboration and cooperation—both of the steps required to diminish the pandemic’s effect and economic efforts are needed to alleviate the economic harm, including international funding.

SHARAN BURROW, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, reflects:

What will the world look like after COVID-19? Many of the issues we will face in the next ten years will simply be more severe versions of those we already face. Only if we plan to take steps to address these issues and bring about systemic change, can the world look radically different this time.

The most critical takeaway from the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of collaborating on issues that concern the entire mankind.

We are much stronger united than divided.

A shared future is not only preferable to a lonely one when making future decisions; it also implies that there is no future if it is not shared.





Read how six prominent thinkers reflect on how the pandemic has changed the world: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2020/06/how-will-the-world-be-different-after-COVID-19.htm

Read the author’s take on the loss of human essentials due to COVID-19: https://theuncoiled.com/2020/12/19/covid-19-and-the-lost-human-essential/

Are boys really better at sports?

Nature or Nurture?

I know there’s nature. Boys and girls are biologically different and they have certain feminine and masculine traits that distinguish them.

I know there’s a choice. Young girls can choose to play dress up games. Young boys can choose to play racing games. But why is that when it is the other way around we lose our minds?

Can young boys not choose to play dress up games? Can young girls not choose to play racing cars?

Are sports and games really gender-specific?

It is not nature. It is not a choice. It is nurtured.

How are we raising our kids today? Are we raising them to live up to made-up societal standards or are we raising them to be who they really want to be?

How many young girls had to let go of their dreams when they were told “You can’t because you are a girl?”

How many young boys had to bury their passion when they were told “You can’t because you are a boy?”

As my colleague caught the ball from the air, he smiled at me and exclaimed “I’m a born athlete!”

It made me really think how young boys and men have the privilege; the privilege to have access to safe public spaces, the privilege to have trainers without the fear of being sexually harassed, the privilege of being born a male and told you can play this sport because you are a boy, the privilege to get the apt guidance and training at such a young age, and If I keep on counting the privileges on my keypad, it would give up.

In my 23 years of life, every time I have told a guy that I am into sports and football is my favourite game, they have proceeded to ask, “okay then what is an offside rule?”

Really? The audacity.

You stop young girls from playing outside, you do not let them pursue their dreams, you do not allow them access to training grounds because after all, sports are not for women, right? You mock them when they come to you for guidance, you pass sexist remarks when they struggle on the field and yet, after enjoying all the privileges, you have the audacity to question their passion for their favourite game?

So, are boys really better at sports or do we withhold opportunities from girls because we inhale stereotypes and exhale sexism?

Get to learn more at https://news.un.org/en/tags/sports-and-gender-equality
Did you know the author @zainab is from Pakistan?
You can learn about gender inequality there from a recent report at https://www.dawn.com/news/1615651

On 8^th of March, every year, women celebrate their day but the freedom to do it is held back by the societal norms and cultural traditions that do not allow women to fully exercise their rights.

Every year, they raise their voice and march against injustice that is being carried out globally.

Why do women need to march?
Who are the people they speak up against?
Who are these criminals and why are they not held accountable for their sins?
Who are the people backing these criminals and defending them?
Are they really not guilty or years of systemic misogyny has conditioned the society into believing that the things they do are not crimes?
Are they from another planet or are they a product of the patriarchal societies we were born into?
 

If society was fair, would there be millions of women marching for their rights on International Women’s Day?

Do you want to ponder upon the reality or would you like to continue living in a fantasy bubble- that I hope really existed. It is incomprehensible as to why after two horrific World Wars, the rise and fall of democracy, many revolutions and movements, and several waves of feminism later; mankind is yet to witness a fair society where women need not step out on 8th March to speak up and demand what is supposed to be already theirs.

What kind of society do we live in that victims do not have allies, victims are the only ones speaking up and victims are the ones being shamed for demanding basic rights. Not just this, victims are made to shut up by using violence against them.

We do not live in an ideal world and making it one is not a possibility but the effort to achieve that, is still possible. That’s upon us.

What do we want to be? Allies or the spectators?
What do we want to do? Bring change or watch the world burn?

As a woman, I have witnessed it all. Why would I not be on my side? But, how about you? Would you support systemic misogyny or would you side with imperfect feminism?

If your answer begins with ‘but’, you have the answer to if society is really fair.

Who makes up a society? We do.

Are we fair to the to the women in our ideas and in our thoughts?

If not, what impact does it have on them in real-life?

If we are not fair to them in our head, imagine the plight of women who face it in real life, who are treated as second class citizens, as competitors, as inferiors, rather than fellow human beings.

If women marching on 8th March really bothers us, what are we doing to solve their issues?
What are we doing to meet their demands?
Who are the people these women march against and who are we protecting them from?
If all of this sounds ambiguous and nothing makes sense, ask yourself: what am I doing to fix this society and make it a safe place?

I know the idea of being woke and speaking up for rights has gotten mainstream. It now does not sound fancy and we are really bored with it. But think for a moment, are women’s lives really this insignificant that nobody cares enough to actually make a change?

What are we waiting for? Most men and women in power exploit others and as long as we as a community do not come together, nothing is going to happen.

Men need women and women need men. For the possibility of a change and to shift the world’s focus towards humans rights, it is the need of time to come together and work together to make a better society for us and for the coming generations.

Let’s prove to the world humanity is not a myth. Let’s make this world a safe space so no kid ever has to grow up and ask; If this society is really fair?

If not now, then when?

Join us in this holy cause. Hand in hand, we’ll bring positive change. One step at a time.

Women’s march and equality: a myth or reality?
find out in the coming series!

Visit: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
Check out: https://theuncoiled.com/2021/03/02/5-powerful-ways-to-create-self-awareness-for-gender-equality-in-everyday-life/
For more by this author: https://theuncoiled.com/author/zainab/

In today’s society, women still have fewer rights than men even though we are still trying to fix this problem.

A study by experts states that women only have less than 70% of the rights men enjoy, mostly exceptional opportunities. These differences vary from country to countries, but based on WEF researchers, it will take about 100 years to eliminate these disparities at the current rate.

It might seem intimidating when you read about it, but the good news is that the world is more aware of this problem, and a lot of places across the globe are trying to fight all types of discrimination like gender inequality. Society is fighting for equal rights, and it has now become stronger than before

What Are the Things That Should Be Done in An Equal Manner?

• Share Household Chores and Child Care Equally

Household chores and child care are the responsibility of both adults. Now ask yourself:is everything is equally done in your home? Childcare is still mainly done by women in most parts of the world. There have been reports that women still do unpaid work of taking care of children compared to men in rural areas compared to men.

• Watch for Different Signs of Domestic Abuse

Get some support and help if you can find a friend or another person suffering from domestic abuse. Violence is not only physical aggression, but also verbal attacks or intimidating behaviors. However, these things happen all at one go. If you experience this happening, report it to the police!

• Support Women and Parents

People responsible for their teenagers and their children will require support in every part of society. Giving a spare seat to a pregnant woman, installing changing rooms for young children in all the bathrooms in shopping malls also support young women. Companies should also grant maternity and paternity leave that has to be given proper actions all the time.

• Reject Racist and Chauvinist Attitudes

Do not make any comments that demean women or humiliate women, the LGBT community, or other minority groups. Do not keep quiet if you hear these types of derogatory words as well. Tell these people to stop these insults.

• Listen and Reflect

One of the most significant issues to get rid of prejudice is that people who already fail to recognize this problem exist. There are many stereotypes and different notions on these topics, which will lead to further problems if this idealogy passes down to the next generation. You have to pay attention to all your thoughts and assumptions and know that nobody is immune to these types of comments, and we should not do the same to another person that is one of these categories.

Final Verdict

We should be aware of these gender disparities among ourselves, so we should make ourselves immune to fight these disparities and let the public know these notions.

I had realized this a long time ago, but with every day the realization gets more painful that for women to achieve anything in this world, they have to work twice as hard as men.

What I often observed in my surroundings while growing up was that boys were encouraged to study and go abroad, to give a certain test and strive for a specific post but when it came to girls, their role was limited. A good academic career was something for the parents to boast off but when it came to higher studies after Masters, it was too much for a girl. It was time for her to get married. Girls with ambitions were getting out of hand and were subjected to emotional torture to get settled with an average guy and serve him at home.

Being someone who comes from a conservative society, mostly where girls are seen as useless and someone just to be married off, I experienced everything. From going to courts, fighting for my legal rights to convincing the family that it’s okay to not choose the mainstream course- I failed many times.

I think we give too much credit to men for doing nothing, and when it comes to women, we don’t have much left. A woman with a good character or personality is the one who is ladylike, loves dressing up, is into makeup, knows about all the cosmetics and oh, not to forget she knows all about HumTv dramas and her favourite colour is pink! She is polite, caring, loves kids, and serves garam garam chapatis for the men in the house.

I do not think there’s anything wrong with that. What’s wrong is limiting our depiction of women only to this. To think that woman isn’t more than this, a woman can’t be more than this, a woman shouldn’t be more than this, is utterly wrong and ridiculous.

This perception of women is too deep-rooted into our society that God forbid, if a woman wants something other than this, she is not on the right track, is getting out of hands and feminism has ruined her.

I see women around me appreciating their male counterparts, acknowledging their efforts, speaking up for their rights, telling them it’s okay to be emotional, supporting and motivating them, but when it comes to the men, I rarely see them giving back half of what women in their lives do for them.

They ask me, why do you speak?

I ask them, why do you not?

I have yet to meet a man who is as supportive and as appreciative as the women in his lives are. In fact, they love to talk about all the problems in the world but when it comes to women, “oh it’s the usual whining”, “there’s no point talking to a feminist”. For them, the problem doesn’t exist at all. Why do you expect them to look for a solution? To be very honest, they themselves are the problem, if not; they’re a part of it.

I was compelled to write all of this down when today, I was telling my dad how I don’t want to go for a certain career like my sister did.

And he asked, why do you have to choose a different one? There’s no use. You have no idea about the world out there.

And I said, If I were your son, you would have supported me more than this. In fact, you would have invested all of your life savings in my career! To which he replied aggressively, don’t say that again! It’s not like that. I love you and I don’t see a difference if you were a guy!

Sometimes, it’s gets like that. My arguments with dad gets messy, overwhelming and aggressive.

I snapped back and said, why are you then maintaing ‘that difference’?

We are all so used to the patriarchal ways that nobody sees a problem with it. It would have been a surprise if my dad’s reply was any different.

“I trust you but I don’t trust the people out there, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you the same way I now can!”

I know there are badly raised daughters out there. But I know there are more badly raised sons. Not to forget, the majority is authority. And the majority of men are bad.

My friends ask me, why do you hate men? I tell them I do not hate men. I am just angry, and maybe sad.

But I do hate bad men. And if you’re one of them, I hate you, too.

I see my male friends getting home around 3am, perfectly safe and at peace.

When I ask my female friends to hangout even at 5pm, there are so many concerns.

Ask a man and a woman what are they afraid of when they go out in their own country, as a free citizen, not doing any illegal activity.

Their reply will answer your questions.

I see men not allowing the women of their house to go on trips yet they themselves will go.

And if you talk to them about how women are being oppressed by men, not all men will be thrown in your face.

And if you ask them why do you not allow your sisters to go out then, they will tell you how bad men are out there everywhere.

What do I call it? Hypocrisy or ignorance?

Sometimes I feel like I’m overthinking, and I’m made to feel like I’m overreacting but then comes a little basic task that I need to do on daily basis like going to a nearby shop and fetching something, and it makes me angry all over again.

How our lives revolve around protecting ourselves from men. Merely walking on a street is not safe. Tell me then, is it not our right to get angry?

Bila Unwan: This fight is only our fight.

And when they ask me, oh what have you done if you’re so concerned?

I tell them, I have been trying, I am trying, and I’m very tired.

They ask me to choose just like others did, serve the king at home and spend a controlled but apparently happy life.

I tell them I’m not a slave of this world.

I am only answerable to the king of Kings, The God, and he didn’t limit my role neither did he limit my rights. I will only bow down to him and I will never choose the way the cruel men of this world has paved for women.

I might be tired, but I know I’m not alone.

To know about this year’s Women’s Day theme, visit: https://www.unwomen.org/ and see reports on gender equity at https://www.who.int/social_determinants/themes/womenandgender/en/

For more by this author, check out @zainab https://theuncoiled.com/author/zainab/

Why can’t we be ourselves?
I’m so sick of all of this! Constantly trying, constantly giving all of me to make the best out of this system, this society, morals, believes. Constantly trying to play as well as possible to be able to make a living in this society.
I try to be as much myself as possible, trying to be free in our broken system, but the truth is I can’t fully. I can’t fully be who I want to be and playing by society’s rules at the same time. And the truth is I feel broken inside. I cry and scream but no sound leaves my lips.
Don’t they see it? Or don’t they want to? “Don’t you see ?”, I say, “That I feel like a bird in a cage, not being able to fly ?” I have stars in my eyes and the sun breaks through my smile. The ocean’s wild streams run through my veins and my heart is beating to the wild running steps of my feet. My hair falls free and the wind loves to play with it, along with the waves of the sea and the birds in the trees.
I’m as sensitive as the flowers but I’m blooming as bright, in peace with the trees as steady and bright. I dance when I want to, to the rhythm of the earth and the beating of my heart. I have a thousand galaxies exploding and sparkling inside of me every second.
Don’t you know I’m magic? Don’t you know I’m wild? Don’t you know I never dance to anyone’s rules? I even carry the name of the moon. Wild. Free. Keeping her own rhythm. Listening to no one but herself.
So how do you think I feel, kept in this cage? Not being able to fly, explore, feel, caged, and pushed to play by the rules.
Why do you do that? Why do you want me different? Why can’t I be me? Be who I truly want to be. Do what I love with all my heart. Without you constantly judging me? Telling me what to do, how to be. Is that our society?
Don’t you know I am a free spirit? I need to run free and breathe the fresh air of the world every day.
Don’t you hear me? Singing and begging to set me free? Push me, break the cage I’m in.

But maybe, maybe I think, it is what I’m meant to do?
Showing you, make you remember. We don’t need this cage, we don’t need these rules.
We need to be who we are, so necessarily we need to be our honest and most genuine selves.

Don’t you remember, as kids, how free we were? Ready to take on the world? Living every day by our dreams, imagination, and happiness. Without worrying about what to do and who to be, just being free and who we wanted to be. Do you remember?

The door to my cage opens and someone looks through. I take your hand and as I look in your eyes I see a light sneaking through.
Don’t you remember that you are a free spirit too?

Global Citizens- Sharing Sufferings:

Empathy knows no distances and, when we communicate with another human, is always ‘active’. It’s an ongoing activity, operating at all times. It does not matter for people who are empathic above “normal levels,” whether the other person shows signs of how they feel. An empath will always know that that person is suffering.

People who are empathic at a global level feel things at a much stronger level. There is a collective consciousness that influences us to some degree, and the very consciousness of the planet itself is also present. The World as a whole is also a living being and is also shaped by this global consciousness.

Globalization has led individuals across boundaries to feel the suffering of others. They are now fighting for their human rights, and with technology playing a role in globalization, everyone has a sense of global citizenship as they communicate with each other through devices and at the human level. Empathy has become easier to travel through all nations and to encourage people to share their pain.

For humanity, globalization has proven to be a blessing. People may belong to various backgrounds, ethnic groups, cultures, religions, but they have a sense of belonging.  For others, it may be a curse, but love outside boundaries is nothing less than a blessing.




For more by this author: https://theuncoiled.com/2020/12/19/covid-19-and-the-lost-human-essential/

https://theuncoiled.com/2020/12/26/the-ache-in-my-heart/

https://theuncoiled.com/2020/12/17/our-dreams-still-cry/