Little warrior mothers
By Dr Laila Abdel Aal Alghalban
Professor of linguistics
Faculty of Arts
Kafrelsheikh University
Happy mother's day! Many countries around the world
celebrate mother's day in March, acknowledging the amazing role of
mothers in the life of their families. Kindergartens, schools, universities and
almost all institutions share the celebrations.
The event is also a commercial opportunity for retailers and
manufacturers, and a breathtaking festival of lovely and hilarious wishes, images,
quotes, poems, posts and jokes on social media. This year a special kind of
mothers have been gaining popularity. They are not mothers yet. They nurture
nature!
" Honored and very grateful for the nomination,"
tweeted Greta Thunburg, the climate activist Swedish schoolgirl who has been
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Greta's call to halt climate
change has inspired so many young people around the world. Meanwhile, a
teenager movement led by young girls called "Sunrise Movement" are sharing
the same call. Supported by the youngest congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(D-NY) Sunrise has recently been so vocal of the right of future generations to
enjoy the same natural resources, environment, security and opportunities
that their parents and grandparents had. During the same week, a study
shows that women economists are more likely than men to embrace
environmental policies and procedures. They are thought to have different lens
to view the world and act responsibly when it comes to the cost of
environmental crises now and in the future. Further, environmental reports
indicate that women's carbon footprint is lower than men's. Women consume less
energy, eat less meat, drive less, smoke less, etc. The question is why are
women in general more eager for safeguarding the wellbeing of our planet than
men?
Nature as mother
The link between women and nature was deeply rooted in the
eco-philosophy of western civilization: nature was regarded as our nurturing
mother. A shift in this philosophy took place due to the industrial
revolution. Nature is seen as a machine, a slave, a beast or an enemy.
Ever since, nature has been abused beyond words, with women always being the
first victims. Eventually, a correlation has been established between the
exploitation of nature and the vulnerability of women. In many cultures, to
take care of the environment and be kind to women sounds less
masculine. Many others believe that campaigning for environment
protection is typically a feminine action, a belief or a stigma that has deterred many from
developing eco-friendly attitudes. Women are usually denied the right to
participate in decision making and are subordinate to men universally.
When crises
resulting from environmental abuses like wars, famines, drugs, epidemics,
ignorance, illiteracy, etc. hit, women sometimes stand defenseless, but
surprisingly remain the most resilient ones. They survive them and help
families to survive too. Women's abilities to endure problems on daily basis
and to make ends meet are sometimes miraculous. So fighting for
environment protection is a fight for a better life and sustainable
future.
Mother is home
as earth is our home
In many cultures,
mothers cannot eat until the rest of the family eat. Other mothers are forced
to live in sheds and deserted places during their periods. Even in the
developed countries, women are still fighting against the gender pay.
Studies show that women are less selfish and wired to give, care and
sacrifice. It is no surprise then that mothers are the sole or primary family
breadwinner in many parts of the world. So mother is home. In Egypt, for
instance, when a man decides to marry, he says" I want to open a
home," i.e. no woman no home. A wife is also referred to as "home"
as in " I was calling the home" meaning " I was calling my
wife." Accordingly, women's care for the environment is part of her care
for their home.
Nurturing the future
Those little girls (mothers) and their colleagues realize
that their generation is the first to pay for environment degradation. Their
daring initiatives to secure a sustainable future for themselves and the coming generations are acquiring supporters
every day. The unprecedented existential threats to life on earth caused by
soul-crushing materialism have made it imperative to find a way for stopping
the destructive effects of environmental crises, abuses, that cause wars, forced displacement, human trafficking,
racism and hate crimes. They think that we need to revolutionize the ideas,
beliefs and habits govern the way we interact with one another and our
surroundings. Small scale policies and measures such as waste management and
reduction in energy consumption are no longer enough. Only when the wounds of
earth heal and she becomes sound, the little moms will build strong homes and
have sound kids.
To such wonderful
little moms and to all moms everywhere, happy mother's day!
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