In trying to establish a link between moral, ethics and aesthetics, the polynomic theory of value comes in handy.
According to it, moral goodness concerns right and wrong actions, ethical goodness concerns what is good for human life, including right actions while aesthetic goodness concerns what is simply good in itself, whether morally, in human life, or quite generally.
So, what exactly is the determining factor to differentiate them? Where exactly is the line of divide? It is interesting to note that due to the so called 'judicial moral-ism', the Catholic Church forced Galileo, on moral ground, to confess that the earth was at the centre of the universe!
Note also, in Toronto, today, women can legally go topless but few do so because of the sexual and moral stigmas. In the two instances, we find the collision of two binary oppositions, between legality and morality. And very often, females are caught in between the two as innocent victims.
Thrusts upon us are the responsibilities we have not quite failed to perform, at least in trying.
Yet, the pressure is mounting - to preserve the image of our society, to uplift the economy, to be ambassadress of our land, to be the epitome of strength and sacrifice.
In short, to be a Super-Manipuri-Woman.
Nevertheless, we are also proud of our society when they stood behind our mothers and 'us', when a female body was raped and mutilated, and the mothers protested in nude. That, female body is considered a sacred entity and the symbol of the society, and cannot be marred, is something we are proud of.
But the acts of imposition upon us as what we ought, should or must do should wither away. At the same time, it is worthwhile to realize that, presently, women across cultures are yearning to return to the concept of divine power of the ancient feminine through self-discovery of the essence of femininity.
The praxis inherent, in terms of experiments and journey, while one indulges in the process of self-discovery should not be trivialized, either.
Or in other words, going back to the ancient root is similar to painting a canvass of euphoric life experiences to derive the enigmatic strength and power of being a woman: of a self - strong and mysterious.
Seen in the same perspective, one can not deny that woman has been epitomized as a powerful force, the Devi, the Shakti, the Ema, the creator of life and the one who nourishes and enriches it, yes, mostly in this century.
Thanks to the waves of feminism. Why not then, we drop the old patriarchal stories about who and what we are?
Instead, open ourselves to live lives from the deepest feminine source- in service to our own spiritual awakening and for the healing and awakening of our families, communities, and the planet.
We have welcomed the change with open arms, but the question is how strong or prepared are we to safeguard the change?
Let's give it a thought, gals!
Eshanou contributes to e-pao.net regularly . This article was webcasted on January 11th, 2007.
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