I’ve been following the blog “Brazen Careerist” by Penelope Trunk for some 6 months or more now and she’s a hoot to read. There have been many mornings when her latest post is the foundation for conversations with AB. I don’t agree with everything she says and i seriously hope never to have a crush on my boss (i mean AB is my brother – how icky would that be!) but i do find her mind interesting if abit strange and remarkably courageous for how much of her life she puts out there. I sometimes speak about my personal life and i can honestly say every post is a debate – am i putting too much of myself out there? Will i be judged? Will my audience get my context?
Some might say its too easy for people to put their personal lives out there but i will say its not. When you speak about personal issues its because there is a need – a need to share, to educate, to inform. A recent twitter by Penelope Trunk on having a miscarriage during a board meeting caused a furor. Some highly conservative sections of society thought she was out of line – too blase about what was happening. How dare she not take ‘life’ more seriously!
What those people missed, which was the whole point actually, was that even in this day and age where the judicial and governmental systems have put in place policies where women should have access to options they are being denied the ability to exercise those options. She did an interview on CNN where the point of the ‘abrahamic religions’ was put forward – how could she be happy about having a miscarriage just because now she didn’t need an abortion? Doesn’t she value the sanctity of life? Why is she talking about women’s business in public?
Before she made her tweet and subsequent post I’m ashamed to say even I, a woman, did not know a miscarriage takes up to 3 weeks having mistakenly assumed the expulsion of the foetus was the be all and end all of that. By her having gone public there is now an increased awareness of this and a larger understanding of this phenomenon. I’ have to confess whenever i see the religious conservatives try to put their opinions on life and choice as the ‘go-to’ choice thereby making every other option an aberration i get really angry. As a pro-choice person i do not go up to every pregnant woman and say ‘are you sure you want to remain pregnant and bring a human being you may not be able to care for and nurture to the best of your ability into this world.
So what gives them the right that they can ask you to re-think not wanting to screw up your life, a life well in the process of being lived which is being de-valued with the presence of a life not fully form and nowhere close to being lived. They believe they have the right because in their minds having faith in “GOD” gives them a moral superiority. One of the basics of Christianity seems to escape most Christians “Judge not lest ye be judged”. At the end of the day if you believe in God shouldn’t you believe that what one person does/doesn’t do and believes/disbelieves is ultimately between God and that person or is your belief in God limited to what you can pass judgement on?
I suspect I’ll be asking questions along this vein for most of my life but ask i will. Fight the good fight and enjoy the weekend doing things that make you happy. I’m sure “god” would want us to have a happy life starting with this weekend
On a parting note I leave you with a quote from AB: “Abrahamic religions are born out of a fear of vaginas and dark places”. This never fails to crack me up!