We live in fear of being scorned by Today. Nobody ever knows when it will happen to them. It begins in middle school. One girl wears a cropped tube top and everyone thinks she’s “cool”. Another girl wears the same thing and storms away alone, labeled “slut” by all. That awful scorn is evident in all levels of society, affecting everyone, but the group most unjustly scorned by Today is The Mothers.
Today scorns the women who are stay-at-home moms. “Go out and get a job!” Today says. “Don’t think that only men can be successful.” Of course women can be successful too, some mutter. Especially as stay-at-home mothers. Men can’t fill that spot. It’s our niche. But Today ignores them.
Today says these women must get jobs and become “successful” in order to be esteemed by those around her. And being admired is the biggest factor to happiness. But is it really? There are a lot of things wrong with what Today has said in these last two sentences.
First of all, seeking to be a people pleaser is a dark thing. We all want affirmation to boost our self confidence, but the people pleaser makes it his/her constant work to gain it. This leads to an addiction. The person ends up as nothing without the admiration of others. Their own ideas have been displaced by the most popular ones of society, and their individuality is gone. Nobody wants to end up that way, but, as I said, everyone wants affirmation, and Today plays on that craving.
Secondly, will being esteemed by others lead to happiness? It is a often a factor, but some of the most esteemed people in the world are immensely unhappy because the esteem of others is all they have. Thousands of people may adore a movie star, but she does not know if she likes herself at all. She may not even think she can live up to the esteem people have for her. If someone is overesteemed, the fear of not living up to expectations leads to unhappiness. The people pleaser is never truly happy because he always needs more. More and more and more. He is never satisfied but always insecure.
Lastly, as a Christian, happiness should not be the goal anyway. The goal should be to glorify God. Christianity totally defies Today. Today says, “Please man and get glory. Then you will be happy, which is all you should want.” The Bible says, “For am I now seeking the approval of Man, or of God? If I were still trying to please Man, I would not be a servant of Christ.[Galatians 1:10] Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. [1 Chronicles 29:11] Consider it pure joy, my brethren, whenever you face trials of many kinds. [James 1:2]” If you are a Christian, every single argument of Today is crushed like a piece of straw.
As we see in James, what seems like a curse can turn out a blessing. But what seems like a blessing can turn out a curse.
Pandora was happy before they gave her the box. However, once she owned it, she had no peace of mind.
A woman would be happy as a mother, laughing with her children, keeping the house clean, being the solid presence her husband can rely on. But Today has corrupted our minds in an insidious way. Messages all around, hidden everywhere, lay contempt on women who let men “get the glory.” Through peer pressure, the teenage girl, searching for a direction to lay her life, feels she MUST have a career. Marriage can wait ’til she’s thirty, children can wait until she’s nearly too old to have them. Jobs first. Become “successful.”
But what if success for a woman is not what Today says it is?
Returning to happiness; we have all seen wealth does not bring happiness. Being a doctor does not bring happiness. Winning prizes does not bring happiness. None of these are guarantees in and of themselves of happiness.
A good family life brings happiness. There’s something to think about. If your family trusts and loves each other with unconditional love, each member will always have someone to go to when they are lonely or sad. The family mirrors the structure of one’s government and religion. It is vital in shaping the worldviews and emotional healthiness of children who will one day be parents themselves. Family is the key. It is vital to have healthy familial relationships, and the mother is what holds everything together. So what nobler job can a woman have than mothering?
Who cares **** what Today says?
I don’t.
{But I do; that’s the problem. We all do. So we need to fight it, sort out the grain from the chaff, guarding our hearts and minds from brainwashing and peer pressure. Don’t let the whispers rot your brain:)}
Sound the battlecry. Join the rebellion against Today.