Reading through Ram Dass’ How Can I Help, one of the most profound excerpts I came across was his distinction between the self and the other. Dass explains, “All of us seem to be born into the experience of separateness…we come to distinguish between “self” and “other”. [1] For most of us, it’s quite easy to become aware of the “self”. We are the self: the daughters, the students, and the children. Naturally, we are always fulfilling roles for ourselves based off of models and identities. Dass then continues to explain that we create a disparity between us and “them”. But who exactly, is the other? In the context of Dass, the Other is the that which we find the most compassion towards. Through this compassion, we explore unity between the self and the other. Dogen Zenji further supports this union, “To be enlightened by all things is to remove the barrier between Self and Other”.[2] Similar to Zen Buddhist Dogen Zenji, I believe one can discover their unique passion by first uncovering the values of the Self, while consequently, revealing what or who we find inherent compassion towards- in other words, the Other. On a personal level, I would have to say my discovery of the “Other” was during my senior year of high school. More than just an extra-curricular activity, high school debate allowed me to open the gateway to new literature and understandings. Doing so, the topic that I have become truly passionate about pertains to women’s rights and gender equality. In all spheres of the political, social, economic, cultural and civil realm, academics of all contexts expressed their advocacy for ending the structural violence and patriarchy within society.
For one of my earlier debate assignments, it was my job to read through narratives of American Indian women who had been affected by laws prohibiting victims to legally persecute their rapist on tribal grounds. For hours, I sat in the debate office engrossed in the in the literature. Although each story was the same, every individual spoke out to me. More than just a new argument to read against an opposing team, the words of these women came alive and truly spoke to me. Since then, I have harbored an explicit concern for the social representation of women in our community.
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| Three Cups of Tea: a project making global change. |
But apart from simply reading about gender issues, I have chosen to take physical action by speaking in support of women’s liberation. An organization I have become a part of is the World Affairs Council. A non-partisan organization, WAC serves to provide cross-cultural humanitarian assistance throughout the world, specifically in third-world countries. One of the major projects of the year raised money to build schools for young girls in rural and volatile regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Inspired by Gred Mortenson’s novel, Three Cups of Tea, the project was implemented to educate young women who would otherwise not be given academic opportunities. For most of these women, there are very little options in terms of their future. But as of 2009, Mortenson, with the help of international activism, has established 131 schools providing education to over 44,00 young girls in K-12 classes. As Mahatma Gandhi wisely said, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world”. Similarly, I have felt most fulfilled for actively taking part in the changes that I was so passionate about.
Even though there are efforts are being made towards gender equality across the world, women still continue to suffer from the normalization of gender bias and patriarchy. Another issue that left a pressing impact on me was the increase of American military prostitution in third world countries. Throughout our education, classes like American History have always constructed the United States has a nation that holds the wellbeing of other nations to a great priority. In fact, most of our international policies have been enacted for the sake of “preserving democracy”. However throughout the recent year, the US military has silently permitted the military prostitution and inhumane sexual violence of women located within Asian military bases. As an ardent advocate against the exploitation of women, I grew most passionate about issues pertaining to the social normality of women’s oppression.
A common assumption of the West, many believe where there are soldiers, there are women who exist for them. Since 1945, an estimated 28,500 U.S troops have been stationed near the Korean peninsula in attempt to act as a deterrent against North Korean’s attacks towards the Americans allies. As a result, many locals and observers have noticed a regional increase in prostitution surrounding military stations. A few kilometers from bases one can find small alleys where notorious sex-workers or “camp followers” establish prostitution centers. In some ways, military prostitution, prostitution catering to, and sometimes organized by the military, has been incorporated into the common military life and warfare. During the Vietnam war, prostitution became a wartime sexual exploitation of Vietnamese women. Prisoners and the South Vietnamese forces were coerced into watching massive raping of local women. During wartime, this form of torture developed into a sexual violence-rape war strategy in attempt to humiliate the enemy. For decades, delegates for women’s rights have condemned the acceptance of prostitution in the U.S military. In fact, many have insisted the nation’s Department of Defense enact policies dismantling the sexual oppression, inequality and corruption in both the U.S military and the respective locals occupied by American forces. In the recent years, feminists have heavily blamed the patriarchal tendencies of communities as result of the U.S military condoning the exploitation and violence of women of these regions. There has been some reduction in prostitution of Korean women, which has been more to do with the work of non-governmental organization, but there has not been much contact with U.S authorities pertaining to this issue. As a result of negative publicity, military official spoke against military prostitution but concrete laws or regulations have yet to be placed. Despite the U.S zero tolerance policy on prostitution, it is quite clear soldiers of the Korean bases continue to abuse local sex-workers. A recent human rights article says, “Though the policy has been implemented to deter sex trafficking and prostitution around the military base abroad, the news reports consistently say that they are still very much in existence”.[3]
In addition to condoning the ongoing structural violence, the U.S military continues to perpetuate the cycle of patriarchy in small rural communities. Although activists have attempted to fight against military dictatorship and labor repression, thousands of Korean prostitutes are placed below political priority because the women themselves are viewed as “dirty” and “tainted” because of their associations with foreign soldiers. Many Korean military prostitutes have been exiled both the larger Korean society and their family upon learning about their “shameful” lives. 80% of these women remain in poverty and destitute for the rest of their lives, often suffering from contracted diseases.
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| Mary Wollstonecraft: renowned as the mother of feminism |
Agreebaly, it’s impossible to dismantle every instance of patriarchy, but it’s important to acknowledge and become aware of our gender discourse. To further pursue my passion in women’s human rights, I have recently decided to minor in Women and Gender Studies. Hopefully, following this passion will translate to making physical changes in the policies, practices and norms that violate gender rights. Brooke Ackerly, a professor of political science says in her writing, “Despite sex’s being an illegitimate basis of discrimination in all human rights documents, women’s human rights violations were persistently unseen or ignored by mainstream policy”.[4] Just as women’s rights has become a passion of mine; Ackerly fervently critiques the status quo for the current policymaking that neglects the ongoing suffering of women in the world. Currently, laws and action have been insufficient in terms of securing women’s human rights. Given the current social norms and gender hierarchy that violate women’s rights, I hope to speak out for the current and past injustices. As the infamous mantra of Texas goes, what starts here changes the world. The exploration and journey we take as budding students will inevitably transform our tomorrow and “have an impact on the university and beyond” [5]. In Covey’s book, he emphasizes the value of a personal mission statement in order to effectively achieve goals and ambitions. He says we must invent our missions as, “each of us has an internal monitor or sense, a conscience, that gives us an awareness of our own uniqueness and the singular contributions that we make” [6]. Now that I read this, I know my “contribution” is to dismantle instances of patriarchy and gender barriers within society. But as Covey also explains, simply affirming our what our passion is doesn’t fundamentally address its ethical value. Instead, we must achieve personal leadership by, “keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with those most important things”[7]. Hopefully pursuing my passion of women’s rights and the study of law will assure a future where I can become the leader for humanitarian justice.
As Plan II students, we are all encouraged broaden our academic horizons and apply our college education into the greater realm. We have become students who seek enlightenment through what we are most passionate about, and that “humane something along guarantees any qualifications for important leadership”[8]. With that said, it is our moral duty to fulfill and achieve what we are most passionate about. Whether it be a revolution in global social justice, or simply to change the minds of a few friends on the ethics of gender discrimination, I can confidently assure myself that I possess the necessary driving force to accomplish any ambition.
[2] Dass, 34
[3] Brooke A. Ackerly, Associatie Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University, 2008, “Universal Human Rights in A World of Difference,” p. 133-34
[4] Ackerly 134
[5] Anthology, 314
[6] Stephen R. Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic (New York: Free Press, 2004), 138.
[7] Covey 138.
[8] Anthology 315.
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