Women and Honor

[dao]

'Rob Roy would be the movie there but the next part is good when his son asks "Father, do women have honor? Ah son, women are the very soul of honor"...'

I've read this in another post and had heard it before and it's always bothered me. I guess because when I hear people talking about good qualities when they talk about men there are almost always examples and when people talk about women it an idealized women. Like when you go to a museum and look at statues, the statutues are mostly specific men like Napeoleon or George Washington and even idealized men have specific names like Michelangolo's (sp) David but, women are idealized as justice or fame. Has anyone else ever thought about this or am I thinking too much?

[RA Miller]

Thinking too much
Jean d'Arc is one of the most written about and celebrated and statued historical figure in the world.

I would bet that there are far more statues, pictures and icons of Mary than of anyone else in the christian pantheon.

As for idealistic representations... Justice, Luck, Victory and Wisdom are all female, as is the Norse Goddess of Skill.

When Rob Roy (I hated that movie) was talking, just as every knight of romantic tale that spoke the same way, he was talking that the average woman not the idealized, is the soul of honor. That a man only at his most heroic is worthy of a love that is a woman's birthright by her very nature. That once in a great while, a man will save a village and be called a hero but every day, the women of the village held it together and kept the children fed. More heroic in their quiet way than all but a handful of men.

Rory
(Who is not as cynical as usual this evening)

[Abbax8]

Rory covered it. I'll add that my wife has made me a better man than I was and I in no way can ever repay her.

Other examples of great women, Mother Theresa, Florence Nightingale, Molly Pitcher. Woman who have made contributions to society, Marie Curie, Dorothy Day, Kathrine Drexell and Mother Angelica.

The idealized woman, Rosie the Riveter. There may have been more posters of her displayed in WW2 than Betty Grable pictures.

Peace

Dennis

[Erik]

Examples of women with honor: my fiancee, her mom, her aunt:
These three women stand up for what they believe is true, just, and right (and argue a lot, but it's worth it to me to hear them), put out a tremendous amount of support and loyalty to their students (mom, who was a teacher then principal), patients (aunt & fiancee), and who regularly gather and donate supplies to charities. They will spend hours going through stuff that they could throw away in less than a minute, they clean them, and find the right place to donate.

They are generous with their support and ask for little in return.

They feed the neighborhood - friends, neighbors, relatives come to their houses and get fed literally daily.

They stand behind us guys when we are trying to do something Right and are truly the driving force behind what makes us strive to be decent people. They have no patience for "bad boys" or Rebels Without a Clue. There is simply no substitute for integrity in this crowd, though there is forgiveness and support when one screws up but keeps trying.

A subtile example (albeit that shows more spirit than deed) is when a kid I knew in the town I used to live in called to tell me about the jiu jitsu tourney (jiu jitsu being the only thing that goes well for this kid) and she stopped the movie we were watching. We never finished it - our only 2 hours per week to actually slow down and relax together.

This kid has no family and is basically taken care of by the little town in which he lives and by his stepfather, his mom having been the recipient of a restraining order by him and his stepdad.

Given that she works & studies 16-18 hours per day (works as a nurse and is studying to pass her medical license in the USA - she was a doctor in her home country), the 2 hours we could spend together awake are valuable time. But this kid came first and she made that clear. She put herself after him as he needed my shoulder more than she does.

Lame example, but it shows her spirit.

When they had no money they still spent it all (or too much of it, at least) on holiday presents for others as there are always others who need more than they do.

Their loyalty to their friends and family (and me, too!) is like that of the father of the prodigal son.

So, these women give their hearts, souls, time, effort, and energy to others, putting aside their egos to serve, like samurai, like knights, like heros.

They understand dignity, honor, decency, and truth, and Rob Roy or no, these women are truly the Souls of Honor.

I am *@#$ lucky to marry into this family.

[Mandeigh Wells]

Interesting thoughts...only last night watching the news I sat and thought after all the years of bloodshed and so called peace processes regarding Northern Ireland and the stalemate........it looks like 5 sisters of a murdered man are going to bring the whole Sinn Fein/IRA thing crashing down. All because they have stuck together and demanded justice. The IRA offered to kill those responsible for their brothers murder ( ) and they have said we will see the perpetrators in court....now the big boys in Sinn Fein are pooping themselves, the case is so high profile even your pal in the white hoose invited them over for St Patricks day snubbing Gerry Adams.

Now thats courage and honour

News story here

[Abbax8]

Erik, this is the only part of your post I disagree with

"Lame example, but it shows her spirit."

Peace

Dennis

[DragonMind]

the case is so high profile even your pal in the white hoose invited them over for St Patricks day snubbing Gerry Adams.

What frightens me is that Bush may decide to invade Ireland as part of his Iraq exit strategy...