THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD.
~
Who will speak the truth?
Who will be the just mediator?
Who will correct the error?
Who will teach the male specie?
Who will intervene?
The protectors are under attack.
The watchers are asleep.
~
Honorable men of our generation, arise!
Mighty men of valor, arise!
Noble men, arise!
Men of courage, arise!
There’s a vacuum, calling to be filled.
A gap calling to be closed.
~
Our mothers and fathers spent all their time raising virtuous women;
But they forgot to raise mighty men of valor.
They groomed the girl child to be a wife material;
But they forgot to raise the male child to be husband material.
They raised morally sound women who will remain faithful to their husbands in marriage;
But they forget to teach fidelity to the sons.
They forget to teach the sons self control before and after marriage.
They taught the girl child submission;
But forgot to teach the sons true love and honor for a woman.
~
Now, society is in chaos.
Marriages are in crises.
Families are breaking down.
The wives are battered.
Fidelity is demanded where it cannot be offered.
Hearts are broken.
Trust is broken.
What an imbalance!
What a mess!
The center cannot hold!
~
Who will speak the truth?
Who will intervene?
Like ostriches, we have hidden our heads in the sand.
We have swept the dirt under the rug.
Who will speak the truth?
Who will correct the wrong?
~
Mothers, arise!
Fathers, arise!
Daughters, arise!
Sons, arise!
Let’s tell ourselves the hard truth!
Let’s correct the errors.
Perhaps, we can save ourselves;
Our sons and daughters, yet to be born.
A false balance, the Holy book says, is an abomination.
Let us arise!!
@P. G Okyere Asante 2024
PS: I wrote this piece in response to the current family crisis and the rise in domestic violence in Africa. Faulty gender norms have caused us more harm than good. Thankfully, culture remains dynamic. It is time to have the hard conversations, shake the tables, reorient us, unlearn and relearn.
Let us raise our sons with a different kind of masculinity that is respectful of women. Let them learn from the examples of courageous men who nurture the potential of women, who provide the right environment for them to flourish and who see women as equal partners in marriage and society at large.
#SayNoToDomesticVoilence
#StopAllFormsOfVoilenceAgainstWomenAndMen
#RebuildingHealthyFamilies
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