Metamorphosis
The idea of Ecofeminism
Women and nature since the beginning of time have been interconnected and mutually reinforcing. A small bud when provided with nourishment, water and sunlight blooms into a beautiful flower in the same way that a young girl, when provided with support, encouragement and a stage to voice her opinions, grows into a strong, confident and determined woman. The plant then grows into a tall tree that soars high in the sky, with its branches spread out, bearing fruit. However, no matter how tall it stands it always has its roots buried deep into the ground. Similarly, a woman always remembers her roots and stays grounded. She values and appreciates the struggle of all the women before her that paved the path and sprouted her growth.
A potter creates a masterpiece by molding the clay that comes from the very womb of the earth. And much like a potter, a mother is the potter of her child’s future. From a very young age, our mothers groom us and inculcate certain values and principles that help shape us into independent and confident individuals. We draw strength from the women in our life to overcome challenges. We learn from her adaptability in the face of adversity and take inspiration from her indomitable outlook. She provides us with unconditional and everlasting love. Neither mother nor nature ever ask for anything in return and yet they continue to bestow many life-sustaining gifts upon us. Nature never hurries — little by little, atom by atom she slowly achieves her work.
However, we must not underestimate the power of nature and women for they can be gentle as well as fierce. Whenever there is an imbalance in nature, it unleashes its rage and takes control of mankind. It treats us the way we treat it, if we cause more harm, it returns the favour by causing natural calamities. One cannot be ignorant about the fact that there does exist an imbalance within our human society, one like the imbalance in nature. A disparity exists in the spheres of gender equality, the reception of women in professional fields and the perception of women as a whole. Society has devalued one side of a dual pair and still continues to justify the domination of one over the other. For years now, patriarchal society has not only subjugated nature but also women and continues to exploit them for personal benefits. I am not saying that men are solely at fault for this degradation, there are many socio-cultural causes at play. That being said, men have played an active role in undermining women and their capabilities. Ecofeminism strives to highlight this inequality that has been going on in our society for decades now. It is a philosophy that shows the relationship between the degradation and exploitation of the natural world and the oppression of women.
How has the world managed to separate and oversimplify complex human relationships? The categorization of society on the basis of class, ethnicity, race and gender has affected women’s social and professional position. The social system isn’t beneficial for everyone. Yet, we perpetuate this social system and allow it to prevail. We tend to cling onto stereotypes and believe that only men should be in positions of power. An ideal household is one with a male bread earner, a housewife and children, anything other than this disrupts the gender norms established by society. A woman’s role as a caretaker is considered inferior to a man’s job of earning money. However there needs to be a modification in this typical household image to one where both men and women share equal responsibility. We need some common ground to enable us to recognise the deep structure of our relations, with each other and with our environment.
Women have bent and broken the orthodox rules of society and proved themselves to be equal individuals who pursue what they set their minds to. They have the courage to stand up for what is right and have unleashed a wave of a new generation of fearless women who voice their opinions and challenge the pre-set thought processes of people. They are able to strike a work-life balance. Women today have come a long way but there is still so much more to accomplish, so many mindsets to change and patterns to break.
We are nature, so when we feel disconnected from it, in a way, we have lost connection to ourselves. Damage done to nature is damage done to our future. We tend to overlook or even forget our correlation with nature and get embedded in the man-made world. The link felt between self and nature is not only intellectual but also spiritual. Keeping this in mind, we must be observant of our relationship with the creations around us for self growth. Fostering this bond will help us better understand the value of nature. This sense of deep respect and reverence is what we must achieve if we wish to create a feminist environmental ethic. An ethic that provides ways of understanding, eliminating, and creating alternatives to the oppression of women. This ethic should exist in workplaces, households and various other environments in the social strata to provide women with equal platforms.
The position of women in society must be reevaluated and elevated from their once-subordinate role to a more inclusive approach. It is time to close the gender gaps, mend relations with both nature and women in order to restore it to its original glory. Equality is simply being able to stand on top of the mountain together to enjoy the view. We need to look out into the world, standing on the precipice of the cliff and realize that women have transformed the world and are powerful beyond measure.
The imbalance has to be fixed at the very grassroots level by changing our value systems so that we can exist in communion with all forms of life. We shouldn’t raise anyone to dominate or to be dominated. We don’t need domination or hierarchy when it comes to gender. Instead, we need connection, now more than ever. We live in a world that wants to exemplify our differences and what divides us rather than the powerful link that connects us all together. A change in society can only come through collective effort and support. As a community, it is time to celebrate women and give them the spotlight on the world stage. We must keep going till each and every woman has a voice and an opportunity to determine her story.
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
WRITTEN BY,
Aashna Parmar
Campus Ambassador at Aspire For Her
