(no subject)

This Mother's Day post is courtesy of Hathor the Cow Goddess (www.thecowgoddess.com). Hathor posts this every year and I always love it, and admire the wisdom surging out from a woman writing over a century ago.

Mothers’ Day Proclamation:

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: “We will not have great questions decided by
irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking
with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be
taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach
them of charity, mercy and patience.

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another
country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From
the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says “Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance
of justice.”

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons
of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a
great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women,
to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the
means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each
bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a
general congress of women without limit of nationality may be
appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at
the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the
alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement
of international questions, the great and general interests of
peace.

Julia Ward Howe
Boston
1870

(no subject)

Like most, I suppose, I am an odd combination of intro- and extrovert. It's a dynamic process, so I'm always amused to observe myself turning into a wallflower or the center of attention when neither strike me as natural positions.

Yesterday I happened to experience an extroverted up-swing, and it was fortunate. Rednikki threw a nice mellow party that I was worried I wouldn't have the social energy to attend, since my day was full of academic/work type presentations and socializing. I did have enough energy and was so glad that I went, since it reinforced the notion that socializing, even in large-ish groups can often be a positive experience. (Plus I learned that silicone sex toys and menstrual cups can be put in the dishwasher for sterilization - I never knew!)

Prof. H and I gave a workshop on the job market to the grad students, and I heard J's latest job talk dry run. Plus there was a lecture on 16th century Hindustani musical texts and a reception (that I believe had bad shrimp, since although my extroversion faired quite well yesterday, my tummy did not). I also got to read half of Y's dissertation and took her out to lunch to celebrate its completion (hurray for Y who JUST finished her dissertation!!!). Through all of it I was chatty and felt shiny and like I was contributing a lot.

Of course, there is always the inner voice that worries that I talk too much, am too pushy, and that people don't actually want to hear what I have to say. I was especially conscious of this during the workshop, but chose to dismiss these thoughts as echos of self esteem demons. I am certainly not the most socially adept human walking this earth, but I think I did okay yesterday. Plus all this social activity wasn't as tiring as it is when my introversion is more ascendant.