I have always strongly disliked the question, "Can women have it all?" It's a ridiculous question because nobody can have it all: the high-powered career, enough time with your kids, enough time with your spouse, enough time with friends, enough time for yourself. Men certainly don't have it all; they're just more likely to choose to spend more time on their careers and less on their families and social lives. But somehow, it seems like women these days are raised to believe that they not only can, but should "have it all."
Finally! Someone is responding to this unrealistic and unfair expectation. I saw this Debora L. Spar interview the other day, and I wanted to throw my hands in the air and yell "Hallelujah!" She's the author of a new book called Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection. Here's the interview (it's only 6 minutes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyu3K305nRs
From the beginning of times they teach us everything is up to you. I wanna said but the guy next to me can he also have it all? And what happen's if he want the same things as me? Do i need to fight with a sword like highlander?
ReplyDeleteThe fact is ,don't care men or women if you have the luck to born in a healthy powerfull family you "have it all".
Nowadays is utter alarming people looking in that direction have it wrong.
What do you need to "Having it all"?
Money can resolve a lot of meterial things that this way our race chose to be.
Even if we live in a material world, 20% 30% our mind can't abdicate to be such of insignificant.
No futur for this mentality vise is going deeper and distant after generation between the cast.
The actual crisis is nothing compare to the human prejudice committed.
Yes, that's the problem with the whole "believe in yourself, work hard, and you can achieve anything" mentality. So does that mean that those who don't have everything they want didn't work hard? It can lead to a dangerous belief that people always deserve what they have--whether they're poor or rich, successful or unsuccessful. It's really a very unsympathetic and skewed view of the world to have. The culture of do-it-yourself capitalism is almost like a religion of faith in yourself and your infinite abilities--but we're not gods. We don't control everything--not even most--of what happens in our lives. Not everyone who works hard can have what they want. It reminds me very much of this excellent TED talk by Alain de Botton: http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success.html
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