Half the Sky

I just finished reading a book called Half the Sky. The book was recommended to me by a friend and it focuses on issues/problems that affect women around the globe and ways to solve these issues. I've heard about some of these issues before, but this book was eye opening. I am very blessed to have been born in the United States of America, and not just because of the freedom that we have, but because of all the places in the world to be born female, this is one of the best. Sure, there are still some inequality issues in America, but when compared to the problems facing millions of women living in Africa and Asia and other third world nations I have nothing to worry about.
Truth be told, I don't really feel oppressed. I've been told my whole life that I can do anything, be anything that I want to be. I believed it then as I believe it now. No one and nothing can stop me but obstacles I put before me. But that is one of the greatest things about America: the American dream. Although some think that the American dream means getting rich, it is more than that. It means that if you work hard, you can "change your stars" (as the movie A Knight's Tale puts it). In other words, you don't have to be constrained by the circumstances of your birth. Sure, it is much easier to be successful if you are born in a wealthy, or even middle class family, but it is not impossible to escape poverty in America if you have the work ethic and intelligence/skill. In other countries, that is not always the case.
For example, some girls are at the top of their class, but because boys are seen as more important in some cultures/societies, if there is not enough money to send both sons and daughters to school, the girls are kept home.
Some of the other isues that are addressed in this book are truly horrific and mortifying: human trafficking and sexual slavery, rape, genital cutting, female infanticide, forced abortions, so-called "honor" killings, and acid burnings. In some nations of the world there is a significant disregard for the life of females, even by females themselves. In those countries/societies, mothers value sons over daughters, and so sons are fed while daughters starve.
After reading the book, the problem seems so large that it feels insurmountable, but very specific solutions are proposed. The key for each individual who feels moved to act, is to find one solution to support, and focus on that. We can't fix everything, but we can fix something, and together we can fix everything.
Here is a quote from the book that I found particularly moving:
“While the main motivation for joining this global movement is to help others, the result is often to help oneself. As Sir John Templeton said, ‘Self-improvement comes mainly from trying to help others.’ Social psychologists have learned a great deal about happiness in recent years, and one of the surprises is that the things we believe will make us happy won’t. People who win the lottery, for example, enjoy an initial spike of happiness but then adjust and a year later are not significantly happier than those who haven’t won. Our happiness levels seem to be mostly innate, and not markedly affected by what happens to us, good or bad. People in end-stage dialysis, for example, turn out to be no different in their moods throughout the day than a comparison group of healthy people. And while those who suffer a crippling disability are initially deeply unhappy, they adjust quickly. One study found that just a month after becoming paraplegics, accident victims were in fairly good moods a majority of the time. Other research found that within two years of suffering a moderate disability, life satisfaction fully recovers to the predisability level. So Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist at the University of Virginia who has studied happiness, advises that if you are hit by a truck and end up a paraplegic, or if you win the lottery, remember that a year from now, it won’t make much difference to your happiness level.
Yet Professer Haidt and others advise that there are a few factors that CAN affect our happiness levels in a sustained way."(Pg. 249) One of those is to become involved in something. Those of us who are religious understand that one way to help yourself is to serve others. And so, I would ask all of you to get involved in whatever way you can. Start small, and when you feel more able, increase what you give and what you do.
Half the Sky suggests 4 things you can do:
1. Go to www.globalgiving.org or www.kiva.org and open an account. Through these sites you are linked directly to a person overseas who is in need. You can also try www.givology.com.
2. Sponser a girl or a woman through Plan International, Women for Women International, World Vision, or American Jewish World Service.
3. Sign up for email updates on www.womensenews.org or www.worldpulse.com.
4. Join the CARE Action Network at www.can.care.org.

I would like to add, 1. check this book out from the library and read it, 2. Check out www.charitynavigator.org to find a charity you would like to donate to, 3. Look in your community for ways to donate time or money, and 4. When you see a need, fill it. After all, studies have shown that the more you give, the happier you become; the happier you become, the more productive you are; the more productive you are, the more successful you are; and the more successful you are, the more money you make (see a previous post of mine).

Well all, I hope that this doesn't come off as preachy, but I really do believe in the power of service!