Much ink has been spilled on Harrison Butker’s recent commencement speech at Benedictine College. Given the indignant articles and commentary in so many places, one would have thought that Butker wanted women to remain barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen without ever venturing into the professional world. But anyone who gives his speech a fair reading will realize he never said this; he merely made clear that for women and men, family should come before one’s career. This is a bold thing to say in an age of workaholism, where people are fed the lie that the meaning, happiness, and purpose of their life lies in their success at work. Other than the fact that workaholism is wrong, it leaves many people in the dust who don’t have fulfilling jobs.
There have also been critiques of the speech from orthodox, non-trad Catholic perspectives, pointing out certain issues with Butker’s speech. Emily Stimpson Chapman has done an excellent job underlining these (see here, here, and here), so I will not repeat what she said, leaving it to the reader to decide whether she is right or wrong. Instead, I want to reflect upon the difficult balancing act between career and family for women.
Women, it is true, have it harder because they are generally the central caregivers to their small children. They will therefore be more challenged than men if they both want to have careers outside of the house (and many aren’t able to have the choice). They will come to feel the tension between wishing to be there for their children and to have a job, and might well feel frustrated with the choice they make.
But frustration itself can be passing, depending on its cause. To make it through the difficulties of life, it is therefore important to discern what our priorities should be and what to expect.
We’ve all heard the siren-song of professional, admired, successful women and men being fulfilled. Movies and television series show people who give their all for their jobs, and somehow remain happy despite their personal lives falling to pieces. But, often, when one scratches under the surface of real men and women, they are not so content as they seem. The main reason for this dissatisfaction is that we were made for much more than work. This deep longing in our hearts for something greater, something that will make us completely happy, makes us turn typically to replacements including admiration, work, and prestige. Or, worse, to sex, drugs, and alcohol, all of which enslave us and turn to ashes in our mouths.
Work is certainly the more noble among those replacement activities since it challenges us and makes us grow (hopefully) in many ways, perhaps even leading to great things like works of art or service to others. But work can often take the place of our deepest longing, which is to be loved. Yes, loved by other people, but ultimately by the only one big enough to love us unconditionally and absolutely—the infinite being, God Himself. And that is where the merry-go-round of human activity fails.
Women, as Edith Stein rightly underlined, are generally more turned towards other persons. That doesn’t mean they cannot be scientists, philosophers, or engineers, or that they aren’t just as capable of abstract thought as men. Yes, every individual woman is different and will therefore live her femininity in her own way; but women often tend to be more directed towards others, and pick up, through empathy, their difficulties and needs. Though all human beings have this yearning (if it hasn’t been destroyed by abuse or hatred) to be loved, it is particularly central for women in their everyday lives because they are so other-directed.
The temptation is strong therefore, to replace this yearning with the ersatz of admiration, which is easier to obtain and makes one feel less vulnerable. If only we try hard enough, get good enough grades in college, and obtain that high-powered job where we will rise through the ranks, then we will get the love that we are craving—this is the false promise which often guides us. It is a thorny path, often beset with frustration, where envy (if successful) and superficial admiration (which cannot replace love anyway, especially not when we’re down and out) will be experienced as insufficient. Through infinite deferral we can fool ourselves into thinking that fulfillment is just around the corner. But if we’re honest, we will wake up one day to see that this is simply not the case.
Many are the stories of women who have fallen for the lie, have waited (sometimes too long) to have children, and find themselves realizing what really matters to them late in life. I’m not saying that everyone should get married or has the vocation to do so. Nor am I saying that marriage and children mean ultimate fulfillment. If one believes this to be the case, then one is in for disappointment. Nothing but God can truly satisfy the restless human heart. But there’s a hierarchy to things, to what is more important and what is less so. And children should certainly come before one’s career–that is the case for those who decide to be at-home moms and those who don’t.
The human person is made for love and to be loved, and this truth should take precedence over anything else. The infinite preciousness of another, especially of a dependent child, should objectively always override the excitement of a job.
Everyone needs to figure out for themselves how this plays out in their particular situation. Things might change at different times; many women weave back and forth between work and at-home time, depending on the needs of their family. But one has to get one’s priorities right in order to determine how to work things out. We need this clarity to navigate the rough patches. Yes, giving up a job to take care of one’s children can be hard, even very hard. And it can take some time to adapt. It’s not because one sees something to be right that it will therefore become easy.
In my own case, I was hoping to have children for a long time; my academic work (though I really enjoy teaching and the intellectual life) could not replace that. At the end of my thirties and after nine years of marriage, we finally had a baby. I gave up my job, wanting to be there for my child, giving her all the love and attention she needed. But it wasn’t easy. And so I’ve noticed with many of my Catholic female friends who are often very accomplished and have top degrees under their belts. It takes time. Child-rearing is difficult. Some women want children and then don’t enjoy being mothers (happily not my case, though I can empathize with those for whom this is so!), struggling with their lot–or vice versa.
I’ve seen so many different scenarios. One can’t predict how something is going to feel from the inside. But the main thing is to realize it is worthwhile making sacrifices for one’s children and to stick it out, however hard it may be. For nobody can replace a mother, and chances are high that things will get easier.
Often one’s talents can still be used, even if they may need to take a backseat for a while. If I’m an artist, then I might find some time in between taking care of my children to exercise my art. If I’m an intellectual, I’ll try to find moments in which I can read and write. If I’m a medical doctor, perhaps I can find a set-up where I can practice a day or two a week. Easier said than done, I know! There might well be fallow years, where I can’t do any of it. But there are ways of living one’s vocation even while not following the normal paths of a career. Some come out stronger and better in their professional fields in the end. But even if they don’t, the point is that one has made sacrifices for the right reason. And, yes, that is often difficult—even extremely difficult—and a steep path to dying to self.
I believe that Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement address two weeks ago at Duke, which got attention for the wrong reasons (because of the war in Gaza) speaks to this, at least indirectly. He was honest with students about to launch into the wide world of work. Life is hard, he said, sometimes terribly hard, and a lot harder than they expect. The important thing is to go out, choose to do something, and then do it well–whether they feel passionate about it or not.
Working towards a prestigious career will cost much blood, sweat, and tears, and reaching the pinnacle of success will only come to a small number of people in the end. Putting family first will be agonizingly difficult at times but, in all likelihood, one will not come to repent having done so. Consistently, one of the main regrets of people on their deathbeds, as many report, is not having spent more time with family, while no one says they are sorry they did not spend more time in the office or furthering their careers.
The imminence of death does wonders to clarify priorities. Let’s try to make the right choices while we can. Butker’s speech is a wake-up call to all of us to examine our priorities and decisions again. That his words caused such outrage should make us ponder the state of our society and it is heading in the coming years.
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It all distills down to the original choice placed before each of us: “if you eat the forbidden fruit you will become like gods…” How choose ye?
Do you, woman, choose to be as God created you, or do you choose to be something else?
The “fruit” with which modern women are tempted are manifold: a car for herself, hours if not days away from home, children and chores, a full time career filled with success and monetary reward, all of which point temptingly toward a complete lack of dependence on a husband. Men become redundant. You can even decide, without external interference, on whether or not your unborn child may live or die. After all, you are a modern, independent woman. How choose ye?
Scripture says, “Before you are set fire and water. To whichever you stretch forth your hand, it will be given you.”
God created man and woman to be complimentary to each other. It is the devl that makes them adversarial. For both man and woman, from God’s perspective, “How choose ye?”
No, you can’t have both career and a family. One must inevitably succumb to the demands of the other.
How choose ye?
Paul, it is attitudes like yours that do more to harm the relationships between women and men more than anything else. Unless you are hinting at the fact that you might be a closeted trans person how do you know what women want? How could you possibly know? Here’s a hint: you cannot.
Do you even listen to yourself talk? You sound ridiculous.
“The “fruit” with which modern women are tempted are manifold: a car for herself, hours if not days away from home, children and chores, a full time career filled with success and monetary reward, all of which point temptingly toward a complete lack of dependence on a husband. ”
In American society both men and women are dependent on cars to get around. A woman who works needs a car to get to and from work. A woman who stays home needs a car to bus her kids around. A woman who works and has kids needs a car to do both. You never, ever see a man bussing his children around to various sports practices, school events, playdates with friends, etc. So maybe it’s men who don’t need cars.
Why is it ok for men to spend “hours, if not days away from home” are they not also part of a marriage? Do men not make up one half of a set of parents? So why do you excuse men from staying home with their wives and children?
“Children and chores” When do men ever pick up a sponge and wash dishes? When do men ever push a stroller? When do men get up in the middle of the night to change a dirty diaper or feed the baby? What exactly are you getting at with this part of your comment other than highlighting the fact that when it comes to “children and chores” it is proven that men do very little around the house when it comes to these things.
“a full time career filled with success and monetary reward” We live in a society where a two income household is necessary in most places just to make ends meet. We are not talking about people living the grand, extravagant lifestyle of a Trump or a Clinton or and Obama or a Bush. We are talking about normal people who come from working class families. My mother worked, her mother worked. All of the women in my family work. All of the women I know work. And they all still manage to take care of their families and put dinner on the table every night. Because we have to. So why aren’t we allowed to enjoy success in our career and to make the money that we deserve for our labor?
Nothing you point out makes, “Men become redundant.” What does make men become redundant is men themselves. Their inability to empathize with women. Their lack of either interest and commitment to their children and home life makes men redundant. Their aggressive, entitled attitudes make men redundant. Their short tempers and predisposition to rage over the most inconsequential things (why do all you men still play video games well into your 50s?) makes men redundant.
Why should any woman want to be with a man who is juvenile, petty, lazy, entitled, overly aggressive, ill-tempered, and cruel? Men have done a very good job of making themselves redundant and forcing women to pick up their slack.
If you’re going to insist that women cannot choose between a family and a career don’t be so surprised that it’s men who are getting left behind. If you don’t want to be redundant, then don’t go out of your way to make yourself redundant. It’s as simple as that. The problem is that it’s men who want to “have it all” while doing absolutely nothing to earn the things they want.
Sorry: my wife (and my mother) had both a good career and a family. I’m happy she had both and I don’t think I or my children were worse off for it.
To introduce one’s little babies and children to nursery rhymes, fairy tales
To witness the first smile, the first steps
To dance to Bach, Hayden, Vivaldi,
To introduce one’s children to nature
To share the companionship of like-minded mothers
I could go on and on……
Motherhood is sooooo much more than a ‘career’. It is a vocation
I stayed home with my two daughters for their first several years (through ages 5 and 3). Then they started figure skating–and it was obvious to my husband and me that they both loved the sport and were doing well in it–not well enough to be Olympians, but well enough to work on the skills that were need to pass the tests (yes, there are tests that figure skaters have to pass to be allowed to compete) and to enjoy competing and most importantly, to love being on the ice.
But the sport of figure skating, like so many activities, costs a lot of money. I’ve read that the only sports that cost more than figure skating are the equine sports (horseback riding).
My husband was making enough money in his computer programming job to support us if the children just stayed home and played and learned from me how to do various chores and tasks around the house and yard and got prepared for school (learning their letters and numbers, and both reading before they entered kindergarten).
But his income would not come anywhere near covering the costs of figure skating lessons, skates (a pair of figure skates, even for a child, cost over a thousand dollars 20 years ago–they cost even more now–keep in mind that they have to be prepped and fit by a skilled pro), competition fees, driving to and from the competitions and staying in hotels for the away competitions, test fees, ice show fees, skating practice and competition outfits (no, you can’t just wear jeans, and the Mondor tights that skaters wear to stay warm used to cost around $20/pair).
We made the decision as a family for me to go back to work for the medical profession (clinical lab) that I had earned a college degree and done an internship in to become qualified to do. Most of my income was used to pay for figure skating.
We never regretted our decision to be a “skating family.” Our daughters are now 41 and 38, and still skate and compete, as well as coach and they love it. Since their primary sport was synchronized skating (team), they never had a shot at the Olympics, but that didn’t matter. They did international competitions that brought them to several countries (my husband and I didn’t go because we couldn’t afford to go).
Our whole family loved being involved with skating. I was a very active “skating mom” in my off-work hours, and even wrote and produced a “Nutcracker on Ice” that will be done for the 20th year this year at my daughter’s rink (she is the director).
My older daughter is a theater professional (successful and earns more money than anyone else in the family!), but even when she was doing Broadway, she kept working on her ice dancing tests–and passed her Senior Test when she was almost 40. Now she’s working on the International Ice Dancing tests (and paying for it herself!).
BOTH of our daughters coached to earn money while they were in college and were paid around $20/hour for their coaching–a whole lot more money than their friends were making working in the college cafeteria ($5/hour). They also were allowed the privilege of living off-campus, as they had to be up and at the rink by 5:30 a.m.–and the noise and life in the dorms didn’t allow for early bedtimes and risings!
In addition to the ice skating, our daughters also attended a Country Day School, which cost a lot of money, but it was an amazing school that definitely made college studies easy for them. They were also involved with music lessons, and our older daughter was involved with community and school theater–which many people would consider a waste of time, but for her, ended up being her career.
Yes, we were involved in our churches, and being Evangelical Protestant during the child-rearing years meant that we were at church several times a week! (My husband and I converted to Catholicism after our children were in college, and both daughters converted–one while in college and the other just a few years ago.).
My husband got involved with ice dancing, too, and until he died, loved working on skills and competing in Adult (at a very low level!) competitions. After he died of COVID in 2020, the majority of the sympathy cards and memorial monies were from figure skaters that he had met over the years at competitions around the U.S. We used the money to fund an ice dancing clinic that our older daughter helped coach (along with 4 other coaches). 50 skaters participated in the clinic, learning about ice dancing, and there were many spectators who didn’t go out on the ice, but just came to pay tribute to my husband.
I think every family will have to work together to make the right decision for their family about which parents will work and how much time they will work (e.g., a doctor is often on call 24 hours/day several days a week). There are many activities for children that cost less than figure skating, and many children are homeschooled at less cost than private or even public schools. If one parent earns enough money to pay for the needs and wants of the family, excellent, although if that parent is working 2 jobs plus a weekend job to earn that money, that’s not good! Some parents may choose to avoid expensive childhood activities like figure skating, but nowadays, even the simple pleasure of going to a state park and camping can cost more money than one income can pay for!
Also, there is a very real need for the non-working spouse to have some means of support should the working spouse die. I was very happy to be able to keep working and earning money after my husband died, and I earned a ton of money before I retired, as the hospital lab was short-staffed (due to schools closing and moms having to stay home, as Daddy couldn’t work from home AND take care of children!). Married couples have to be realistic about the needs of a widow or widower who may not have the education, skills, and experience to earn an adequate living. Even if both spouses are working (or have the skills and certifications to get a job), a couple needs to have an IRA or some other retirement plan, as well as life insurance, to provide for the surviving spouse and children. I honor my late husband for making sure that I would financially secure in the event of his death.
I’m not sure how many families consider the possibility of their child(ren) being involved in something expensive like figure skating or private school. I think that young couples should talk about this before they are married. I also think that, unless there are financial resources, perhaps from parents who are well-off and generous, both the man and the woman in a marriage should be capable of supporting themselves and any children with a job or profession that provides an adequate income. (This can be something that’s done from home, e.g., breadmaking, crafting, childcare, etc.). Even if the family isn’t involved with figure skating, they still have to pay for the basics–food, shelter, transportation (even tennis shoes for walking everywhere cost money!), insurance, donations to their parish, etc., and someone has to earn the money to pay for these necessities.
I hope this is helpful.
In our rarely lucid moments, married men realize that one thing women do NOT want is “inattentive listening.” Not the solution to objectified problems, but first personal listening…It’s all about respect.
So, what about really attentive and respectful, and “synodal” listening in the Church?
From DER SYNODAL WEG and an imploding Church in Germany—basically a marriage on the rocks….Instead of celebrating a mass of stable families, unstable group-think intent on celebrating invalid Masses. Instead of red and purple hats who still know that they are not women, an open-marriage voting structure between the laity and guardianship assigned by some dead white dude named Jesus Christ to the successors of the apostles. Instead of collectivized and racially-based fascism from the recent past, the collectivized fascism of unisexual and anti-binary ideology for the future. Instead of the indissoluble marriage of Christ and his spousal Church, the trial marriage of ongoing synodality divorced from the universality of Rome. Instead of personal sexuality and identity, the unthinking of binary sexuality and of men and women as such. The rejection of even science and the deep differences between real women and men—
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/taking-sex-differences-in-personality-seriously/
A good thing that Synod 2024 is totally free of such ideology!
And on an even more GLOBAL SCALE, in the early 1990s (pre 9/11), a seasoned European intellectual, linguist, historian and traveler was invited as a conspicuous guest to a large meeting of Islamic scholars in Muscat, Oman. Without advance notice the Austrian Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddhin was asked what he, as the only Westerner in this Muslim convention, really thought was the source of the crisis of historic Islam. Why had the Muslim world been so eclipsed in recent centuries? Arrogance toward intercultural learning? Social and economic and political reasons? The rise of a competing West with military and naval superiority over the Ottoman Empire?
Instead, and at possible personal risk: “It is because you do not respect your women.” The collapse of both the Church in Germany and of Islam in the world.
Western scholar of Islam, Bernard Lewis, has noted that the earlier Christian respect and deference toward women always startled Muslim visitors. He quotes an early visitor to Vienna (Evliya Celebi): “Women have the chief say, and they are honored and respected for the sake of Mary” (“The Muslim Discovery of Europe,” 1982, pp. 287-8).
At the possible personal risk of sounding like a male chauvinist pig: first a respect, deeper than equivalence.
It’s all so very simple: What do women want? They want men to act like men.
No two cases are the same. Each person, each couple must find how to address their unique situation and strive for balance so they can make it work. Life has become so complex and demanding and there are no longer templates that we can fit our lives into. Frequent upgrades in technology completely upset our equilibrium and force us into a corrective mode. What works today is obsolete tomorrow. Long term goals blur and cause us to lose heart and become cynical. The only answer to our dilemma is a deeper walk with our Savior, Jesus. Everything makes sense and our goal becomes crystal clear when we keep our eyes on Him. We must let go and let God. It is not so much about doing as it is about being. We must not take ourselves too seriously. We must acknowledge and accept our mistakes and weaknesses and confess our sins and accept forgiveness and move on ; identify our strengths and use them. We must accept others as they are and love them even if we don’t like them. We must never expect too much of others especially our fellow Christians. We must worship God the best way we can and allow others the freedom to do the same. We must learn to listen to those who disagree with us and try to understand where they are coming from and learn from them. We must learn to separate the person from their ideas, beliefs and behavior. We must try to see the good in others even if they seem to be May God bless us all
What women really want, whether subliminally or consciously without prejudice to Marie Meaney’s analysis, is for men to be men. Anthropologically women by nature look for men to lead, protect, provide. A process of revision has affected both sexes negatively, women apparently more severely, now seeking to compensate what men no longer, in general provide.
“Women, as Edith Stein rightly underlined, are generally more turned towards other persons. That doesn’t mean they cannot be scientists, philosophers, or engineers, or that they aren’t just as capable of abstract thought as men” (Meaney). True. Although that isn’t the issue. The issue is that women believe it’s necessary to prove their value by becoming the equal to men in virtually every profession or activity in which men have dominated. Women have been denigrated sexually lasciviously represented in photos, by the media, entertainment. Or glamorized as the superfrau equivalent of the supermensch created of effeminized men.
What then is the antidote? Our culture is morally poisoned, the remedy to which is found in a return to and deeper contemplation of our relation to Christ who created us man and woman for a reason.
That’s true Father. There was a study done a while back & it found even very feminist-oriented women were more attracted to strong, masculine men when they were considering future fathers of their children.
I think it’s instinctual. You want someone who will provide & defend your offspring.
Asante mrscracker, Joan M. Resk.
I agree with Fr. Morello. Men need to grow up. Let us not put all the emphasis on woman. we have our part but the burden is also on the man. After all it does take two. Congratulations to you for stressing the males responsibility. Woman have brains also and should be allowed to use them.
Raising children requires brains. If you are implying the only use of intellect is in some occupation, than you betray profound ignorance.
To Mayla,
Me thinks I hit a nerve. That’s probably a good thing.
Just so you know, in April of 2023, I buried my wife of 44 years after she succumbed in an heroic battle with pancreatic cancer. Our three adult children and I were praying the rosary at her bedside as she passed.
My beloved Jenny was among the best of wives and mothers in every possible aspect and facet of her being.
What is written below, I posted on an EWTN commentary in 2006 to a young Catholic girl considering the marriage + career scenario, with emphasis on the latter –
First, a common misconception continues to prevail in today’s society, that a woman “can have it all.” That is, many women believe that they can have both a successful family and a highly successful career.
To that I say, yes, perhaps you can – BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME!
To have a successful family, the children (and even your husband) must come first. To have a successful career, the job must come first. To attempt to have both at the same time is a recipe for disaster, because in every practical application, due diligence cannot be given simultaneously to both family and career. In the situation in which children and career compete for finite and limited resources, (you – your husband including his and your time), one will win, and the other will lose – every time. Guaranteed.
The career mother will all too quickly and inevitably discover that there is not enough of her to go around. No one on earth can or will raise your children as well as you, their mother. No nanny or daycare worker is able to replace a child’s mother or father – at any price.
My wife and I have had a very successful Catholic marriage, in part, because we agreed, even while we were still engaged, that she would stay at home to raise the kids until they were of the age when they no longer required her constant attention (i.e., grade school). Even then, my wife’s work consistently took a subordinate role anytime the children were ill or required her time and attention for whatever reason. For my part, many a day I would take off from work in order to take the children to the doctor or tend to some critical situation at home as the need arose.
My wife is college educated, but she chose to put our children and our family ahead of pursuing a career. As the children grew and matured, she was able to transition out of the house and into the workplace.
The operative word here is “transition.” None of this is about instant gratification.
Point number two – From the man’s perspective, it is the nature of the man to be the stronger partner, to be the provider and protector of his wife and children. Men, at least the ones whom I’ve known to be successful husbands, fathers and workers, (in emulation of St. Joseph), had very supportive wives who were very much what you would call “complimentary partners.”
However, the career-focused woman, more often than not, (in response to her tendency to deal with her husband in the same terms and manner as she might with business associates and subordinates), is viewed by the man, her husband, as a competitor and rival rather than a spouse, and such a relationship can, at times, even become adversarial, instead of as it should be – a marriage of unity, built upon the complimentary and mutually supportive, nurturing and loving husband and wife. In other words, if you choose to compete with your husband in “wearing the pants in the family”, you are mutually assured of, at best, a very rough road ahead.
Our previous Holy Father, Pope John Paul the Great, wrote much on the sanctity, spirituality, and complimentarity of husband and wife within the context of Holy Matrimony. Particularly noteworthy is his Apostolic Exhortation entitled “FAMILIARIS CONSORTIO” on the role of the Christian Family in the modern world.
In any arbitrary group of children, it is quite easy to single out those who were raised in good, solid, family home environments in contrast to those who grew up in daycare centers. It is a night and day difference in their attitudes, behaviors and personal values. We’ve all seen it.
Yes, our family has sacrificed much financially in order for my wife to stay at home and be there for the children – we have never been on a cruise or to Disney World, and the savings account is pretty much always running close to empty – but my wife and I will trade all of those things a thousand times over for the reality that by the grace and support of God in combination with much sacrifice, commitment, perseverance and hard work, our children have grown up to be good, solid, wholesome Catholic adults who are well prepared to face life in these difficult and troubling times.
The bottom line in all of this is that you have to decide what you want out of life and what is most important to you. The sacred and supernatural entity created by God that we call Marriage and Family, is not the same as a law firm or business enterprise, so we would all do well not confuse the one with the other. These disparate entities are on two completely different and often conflicting, contradictory and mutually exclusive spiritual and temporal planes.
You may well be able to “have it all”, but attainment of your goals and the success or failure of your efforts will depend entirely upon your attitude and approach, along with your willingness to compromise and come to see “eye to eye” with any potential spouse, especially with regard to the key and critical, substantive and moral issues that face every marriage and every family today.
Because the Marriage bond is sacred, and the family itself – Father, Mother, Children – are a tacit reflection and manifest extension of the Holy Trinity in the world, a woman and her future husband, as Sacred Scripture attests, must truly and indeed be ready, willing and able to “become One” in all things. That is how God judges success.
We, too, must look to defining our personal and collective success through God’s eyes, and not the world’s.
For any couple considering married life, my advice is to pray much and always keep in mind the words of Saint Teresa of Calcutta – “God does not call us to be successful, but to be faithful.”
Question to all women who believe “men need to grow up.”
Please elaborate on that in detail, especially in regard to your expectations in the context of men’s faults, failings and overall brokenness.
I have read and heard countless women say or write that in terms of a generalized frustration or disappointment. But these women all stop there. What are you really saying?
There have been some excellent comments, though some I disagree with quite elementally. However I haven’t seen anyone (yes, I skimmed) comment on the FACT that it is almost impossible to survive on a single income. I live in a rural state whose cost of living is among the lowest in the country, as is the average wage. Sixty three percent of women work here — and the percentage includes those of retirement age, so for those in child raising years it is higher. Housing costs are very high, and inflation on food prices is extreme. While perhaps some would advocate use of government benefits, I can’t stand behind that. Quit trying to shame women. Also, though I’ve read his speech twice, I don’t see any mention of man taking responsibility for anything but providing money.
Our battle isn’t against mere flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, aka, the devl and his legions, mortal and spiritual.
The devl, by means of manipulating powerful and not-so-powerful people, requires human assistance to do his work. Small steps taken consistently over a very long period of time, along with a great deal of human cooperation, has given the devl everything he has wanted.
The astronomic rate of inflation that brought modern society to its knees, and where we now find ourselves, took well over two centuries to achieve. Consequently, it most certainly takes two or even more incomes per household in order to make ends meet.
We did not arrive in this condition of total slavery all at once.
The combination of worldly temptations and subtle suggestions on the part of evil brought us here one small step at a time. For example, tempting the housewife with a multiplicity of newfound freedoms and material luxuries once she decided to choose to leave the home and enter the job market. It came also in the late 1960’s when Pres. Richard Nixon took the U.S. Dollar off the gold standard. Had that standard been retained to this day, one ounce of gold would still be worth $35. Cars, houses, food, all the costs of living would remain at sustainable, stable levels.
My formative years were before greed-driven inflation, cell phones, computers and the internet. Unless a person has experienced this slower, calmer, steady-state lifestyle, it is beyond the ability of most people to even imagine.
Who now remembers waiting for the Christmas edition of the Sears catalog to arrive?
This isn’t a matter of shaming women, though the vast majority of both men and women need some serious shaming, starting at an early age, if there is to be any hope of bringing people back to God and freeing them from the world, the flesh and the devl.
The unspoken rule of at least Western society has become, “I don’t care what you do with me, satan. Just keep me comfortable.”
A slower lifestyle is what God intended. This madness in which we live, the endless cacophony of noise (tv, rap-crap, etc.), the civil disobedience moving not only this country but the entire world to a global nuclear conflagration.
I am not proposing a heightening of hostilities between men and women. That only serves the devl, and provides him with a greater harvest of souls for hell.
Feeling shame is a very good thing. It is my conscience and my soul telling me that I have committed some moral or social wrong.
All I am suggesting is for each of us, at this moment in time while we still have the time, to do some very honest, serious and prayerful soul searching with regard to who and what we are, where we have been and where are we going in the material and spiritual realms of our lives, and do this from the perspective of not how the world, the flesh and the devl see us, but how Almighty God sees us.
I know what Marjorie Taylor Greene wants and she knows she’s right!
She got Fauci square his corner trembling about PRISON FOR MR. FAUCI.
And the Committee and everyone knows she’s right! “I’m not addressing him as Doctor.”
https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1797666729759502365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1797666729759502365%7Ctwgr%5E18045fcab3eab00d5cbc1f4bcd4c6cb9836845e3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lifesitenews.com%2Fnews%2Fmarjorie-taylor-greene-grills-fauci-at-covid-hearing-you-belong-in-prison%2F
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mtg-refused-address-anthony-fauci-175014376.html