Back in December of 1987, I wrote a poem entitled Women Are the Only Hope in a meditative moment. Little did I know that the title would be the exact wording and precursor to a concept that would later appear in the collective consciousness, and expressed by (among others) Mendelson Joe!
Women Are the Only Hope
Watching as darkness falls,
the perfect moment
when shadows shift in the sky,
brief lights backdrop the landscape,
quickly fading to black,
I wonder about the rift between men
and the dimensions within women.
Time and again I’ve thought
of a tree standing tall,
supporting the sky
in complete control of a quiet life,
and in synergy with the environment.
Unlike man, even at his best.
In his world of acceleration,
who sits in the shadows?
Women are the only hope.
Pegi Eyers, 1987
Watching as darkness falls,
the perfect moment
when shadows shift in the sky,
brief lights backdrop the landscape,
quickly fading to black,
I wonder about the rift between men
and the dimensions within women.
Time and again I’ve thought
of a tree standing tall,
supporting the sky
in complete control of a quiet life,
and in synergy with the environment.
Unlike man, even at his best.
In his world of acceleration,
who sits in the shadows?
Women are the only hope.
Pegi Eyers, 1987
Raconteur, railer, mixed-media artist and musician Mendelson Joe believes that activism and speaking out can make a difference, and that women are the only hope for the future. This excerpt from his book Alien is an extraordinary passage, eloquent in its plea for the empowerment of women everywhere. If you are not familiar with his work an exploration is in order at www.karenrobinsongallery.com
Women Are the Only Hope by Mendelson Joe
"The world is in such a mess now. There will never be leadership from men, because there are too few men who think like David Suzuki. So we’re fucked. The only hope is women; I really believe it. By using technology to communicate with one another, women can start to change the world. They should make use of everything that connects people – the internet, telephones, television, writing, singing. Women have to somehow unite and take control of the world. And the only way they can do it is by withholding sex from men. That’s the only way you can control men, to not allow them access to you unless they behave right. These are not original thoughts. If women were to band together and control men in this way, it would be at the risk of their own well-being, because the men would go around raping everybody. So women not only have to becomes strong, they have to be protective of each other and they have to be aggressive. Well, that’s an awful lot to ask overnight. But it’s gotta happen soon. Mothers are less likely to build bombs and drop them. Women are less liable to want their children to go to war. Women are less likely to knowingly pollute where they know their children are going to have to live."
Alien: The Strange Life and Times of Mendelson Joe © Mendelson Joe 2000
This strikes me as a powerful wake-up call for the coming together of women in sisterhood and support. Since the revival of the play Lysistrata, whereby the women of classical Athens withheld sex to end the Peloponnesian War, there have been instances of women "saying no" to deal with corruption in the oligarchy or to establish peace. Not that this would be likely to occur on a large scale (?) but we can imagine what might happen if the wives of world leaders decided to give it a try! The reality is that the unity of women can make a huge difference. We need to reject the competitiveness and mistrust of each other that has been instilled in us by the patriarchy to keep us disconnected from each other, and from our personal and shared power. We must have our voices heard as a collective. If you haven’t already, is there a woman’s circle or group at the local level you can join to address personal and political transformation? As with women everywhere, I have gained an extraordinary amount of awareness and empowerment since I wrote this poem in 1987. Change seems to come slowly, but the Great Turning is happening nonetheless.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
RESOURCES
Jean Shinoda Bolen has been urging us on to the tipping point with her work >Gather the Women, Save the World< She is a leader for today’s time of transition, and advocates setting up women’s circles and grassroots groups at the community level.
>Women Are Our Only Hope< by Anthony DiGiorgio
>Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future< edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth
"The world is in such a mess now. There will never be leadership from men, because there are too few men who think like David Suzuki. So we’re fucked. The only hope is women; I really believe it. By using technology to communicate with one another, women can start to change the world. They should make use of everything that connects people – the internet, telephones, television, writing, singing. Women have to somehow unite and take control of the world. And the only way they can do it is by withholding sex from men. That’s the only way you can control men, to not allow them access to you unless they behave right. These are not original thoughts. If women were to band together and control men in this way, it would be at the risk of their own well-being, because the men would go around raping everybody. So women not only have to becomes strong, they have to be protective of each other and they have to be aggressive. Well, that’s an awful lot to ask overnight. But it’s gotta happen soon. Mothers are less likely to build bombs and drop them. Women are less liable to want their children to go to war. Women are less likely to knowingly pollute where they know their children are going to have to live."
Alien: The Strange Life and Times of Mendelson Joe © Mendelson Joe 2000
This strikes me as a powerful wake-up call for the coming together of women in sisterhood and support. Since the revival of the play Lysistrata, whereby the women of classical Athens withheld sex to end the Peloponnesian War, there have been instances of women "saying no" to deal with corruption in the oligarchy or to establish peace. Not that this would be likely to occur on a large scale (?) but we can imagine what might happen if the wives of world leaders decided to give it a try! The reality is that the unity of women can make a huge difference. We need to reject the competitiveness and mistrust of each other that has been instilled in us by the patriarchy to keep us disconnected from each other, and from our personal and shared power. We must have our voices heard as a collective. If you haven’t already, is there a woman’s circle or group at the local level you can join to address personal and political transformation? As with women everywhere, I have gained an extraordinary amount of awareness and empowerment since I wrote this poem in 1987. Change seems to come slowly, but the Great Turning is happening nonetheless.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
RESOURCES
Jean Shinoda Bolen has been urging us on to the tipping point with her work >Gather the Women, Save the World< She is a leader for today’s time of transition, and advocates setting up women’s circles and grassroots groups at the community level.
>Women Are Our Only Hope< by Anthony DiGiorgio
>Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future< edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth
 | Pegi Eyers is the author of "Ancient Spirit Rising: Reclaiming Your Roots & Restoring Earth Community," a new book that explores strategies for intercultural competency, healing our relationships with Turtle Island First Nations, decolonization, recovering an ecocentric worldview, rewilding, creating a sustainable future and reclaiming peaceful co-existence in Earth Community. |
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