Father Nature…Wtf? What happened to Mother Nature?
(So, hold on and let me explain! )
The term “Mother Earth” has long been used to refer to Earth and Nature.The Earth’s body has commonly been resembled to much of a mother’s physical form. Earth’s curvaceous bodies of land and bodies of water have unique ability to create, hold, and nurture life. The word “Mother” implies female characteristics like giving, caring, sacrificing, passionate, loyalty, virtuosity, and etc. Women are often seen as a female representation of Nature.
Women and Nature have always been linked together since the era of Sir Francis Bacon in the seventeenth century. Bacon sought a masculine world. To put it very simple, Bacon hated women and wanted the control over both nature and women. Nature was freedom, social disorder, spiritual and powerful. It did not take long for man’s inability to control nature to turn on women.
Look back and reflect. How have we treated Mother Earth?
Mother Nature was long since been transformed. Earth’s struggle with pollution, wasted resources and dying species has left it vulnerable. Mankind’s capitalism has deteriorated it’s precious resources while condemning us with Global Warming. Mankind has taken Earth and its all it offers for granted. Is that any way to treat a Mother?
Like a selfless Mother putting up with a selfish, ungrateful, and entitled brat, Mother Earth follows Vaughan’s “gift paradigm” as mankind exploit her and her nurturing. We rape her land, massacre her inhabitants, poison her water and air, and still we demand more.
In other words, like any other mother, Mother Earth loves us, gives us her all and puts up with our bullshit.
Why do we do this? Was nature feminized to be condemned and exploited?
Nature is another exploited victim of sexism. Mothers share their body, give their own nourishment to nourish others, and provide shelter within their own body as did Earth.
Unfortunately, Nature was controlled (so to speak). Bacon would rejoice at the fall of nature and it’s femininity.
So let’s suggest we change the term “Mother Nature” to “Father Nature” to bring respect and salvation for Earth?
The term “Father” is typically associated with characteristics like strictness, toughness, dominate, powerful, rugged, and leadership. The typical role fathers take on are to be stern and discipline the children among several other tasks. The father’s body differs greatly from a mothers’s body. He is strong, tough, tall, rough skin,and not the kind of body that would give life but would protect life. Father Nature could make us feel safe, again.
If we change Nature’s gender to male, would we see the world differently? Would we treat “him” better in this white dominant, patriarchal society?
Perhaps Father Nature can bring the discipline needed for it’s bratty, entitled, ungrateful inhabitants. After all, men tend to respect other men, especially Father figures. Father would demand respect and urge the fight against pollution and the destruction of Earth, while threatening with consequences. Nature would strip off all its feminine qualities and enhance them with desirable male characteristics. Its body of terrain would seem rougher, harsh, maybe even cruel. His bodies of water would seem stormy with a cautionary warning. Perhaps, Nature’s children need a bit of “tough-love” to restore Nature’s proper order. Would a simple title change bring forth a whole new perspective of Earth?
Breaking News! Father Nature is a solution for a more sustainable future!
“Perhaps the greatest (and smallest) mistake humanity has made is to give our babies opposite gender names — — such an innocent but terrible mistake” -Genevieve Vaughan
The dichotomy of male and female genders applies from a range of living things to objects. The two commonly used genders, male and female, are held as opposites while carrying the misconception of one being stronger, better, and more respected. Genders are full of stereotypes, whether they are positive or negative, they do not reflect anything but assumptions.
This dichotomous thinking and labeling is wrong. It limits the person, being, or thing to a stereotypes by placing them into bias categories. Gender should be seen as a spectrum, where there is no inferiority or superiority.
Nature must be stripped of a single gender. There is no right or wrong gender and no single gender will save the world. Shall we think of Nature as possibly a Hermaphrodite with the ability to prove the harmony and unity between sexes as well as their combined strengths. There is a dire need to step out side the “traditional” thinking and see thing for what they really are. Life isn’t just black and white, good vs. evil, and male vs. female. Nature has hermaphrodite animals, insect, plants, and humans. Why do we limit everything into two categories? How is that fair or beneficial to anyone?
http://www.for-giving.com/forgiving05.html Genevieve Vaughn
#mothernature #gender #Earth #hermaphrodite
