Feminism at its Finest

Well, I finished the book, Nickel and Dimed.It was enlightening. You should read it if you like discussion of welfare reform, and can tolerate stupid feminist garbage (not to be confused with GOOD feminist ideology.) Apparently, everything in low-wage work is the result of oppression of women in America. Now, I'll admit that in the past, we HAVE been oppressed, and there are certainly still some really chauvinistic people out there. I will also admit that I think the idea of eradicating welfare is unwise, and single mothers should most certainly not be pushed off the system if they cannot provide for their children, or if there is not someone else willing to help. However-- we cannot blame all men for the injustices committed by just a minority of them.

I don't think that most feminists have stopped to think that maybe-- just maybe-- the men they all too often accuse of being pigs are actually victims of an unjust mindset that has been passed down to them. If it is true that human beings act only as they learn from their environment (which most liberals would agree with, as would most feminists), then they are only acting out in reaction to their own oppression-- an oppression of behavior and mentality that has been pressed upon them by their fathers, grandfathers, and so on. The male species as a whole is not at fault for welfare reform, or single mothers who hold low paying jobs in cities they can't afford to live in.

To go further, I think that many times, it is the fault of the women. We have been brought up in a world where independence equals empowerment-- even if that means leaving our husbands, holding minimum wage jobs, and abandoning our children all for the sake of boosting our ability to say "I am woman, hear me roar!"

"It's a relationship, not a religion"

re·li·gion n.

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

The life or condition of a person in a religious order.

A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.

A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

I'm pretty religious.. how about you?

It's just something that kind of irks me... all of the Christians who want to throw away all forms of "tradition" and "religion" and bring on this whole new wave of "spirituality" and "relevance", as though they don't believe that the Gospel of Christ that was preached 1000, 500, 200, or even 50 years ago is relevant today. I know that you aren't necessarily one of those Christians, but non-Christians won't buy into the whole "I'm not religious, I'm a Christian" thing... because for nearly 1500 years, Christianity has been considered an organized religion by everyone. It isn't necessarily a bad connotation, either.. it just means that you belong to a group of people who share a common faith/belief system. It just means that you're a member of the body of Christ-- just like Catholics, or Baptists, or Lutherans, etc...

Why I Don't Dress Like a Tramp

The confessions of a modestly dressed girl.

It is springtime in Missouri again; The time that beckons see-through tank tops and inexcusably short skirts to come forward and flood the racks and displays of every department store and mall in sight. Aside from the fact that our summer weather can be excessively hot and humid, I am one of the poor (yet blessed) souls that sees little appeal in this style of clothing.

Some say it is a fashion statement to flaunt your body. (Though, such a small amount of fabric should really not even be considered fashion.) I say it is absurd. Not only does it display a complete lack of self respect, it also give men and more prudent women a reason to disrespect you. Regardless of what women may say, it does not mean that you are proud of your body. How seriously can a woman be taken if she is hanging out of her clothes? How proud do you really think you look, so unkempt and unprofessional?

Before I continue ranting, I will put some order to these confessions. My reasons for being modest are as follows:

• 
  I wish to be modest in dress and action so that I can be respected and successful.
  
• I have never been in the slightest way convinced by any girl who urges me to wear a very low V-neck, or a mini skirt, that it will make me any more attractive than I would be if I were to wear a floor-length skirt and a turtle-neck.
  
• I do not feel the need to show off my body in order to obtain attention, nor have I ever felt this need.
  

While there are other reasons, I believe that these are the most practical and universal reasons.
In a professional world, immodesty has nearly no place. Working in fashion retail, the dress code of my work place is such that we cannot actually wear the majority of the clothes we sell. And why? Because no one would want to buy from girls dressed like everyday prostitutes. This may be a little harsh to say, but it is a commonly held idea that modest dress is the most acceptable.
It is no lie that the media shapes what these girls find to be fashionable, but I hardly believe that the majority of girls in America lack the ability to turn off a TV, or stop reading a magazine.

Furthermore, I refuse to believe that these girls are being led blindly by the "desires of men" who wish them to walk around half-naked, simply for their pleasure. The truth is, the men who would say "A girl is completely unattractive unless she shows some skin" are very few and very far between. Any attention you will obtain by dressing in an immodest way will not be good attention, though it may feel like it at the time. If you dress in a way that provokes men's hormones, you have no right to expect anything else in return.

If you want to be taken seriously as a woman, cover yourself up and present yourself with a dignified spirit. That is really what it comes down to-- dignity. Do you have the dignity to stand out and be covered up, or will you fall into the trap that says "hang out of your clothing, and all your dreams will come true!"?
i blame the feminists

Preservation v. Evolution

“These are the times that try men’s souls…” - Thomas Paine

A Professor of mine once said that Americans do not know how to entertain themselves. In complete honesty, I am thoroughly convinced that he is right. He continued his point by describing the streets of Rome or the taverns of the English countryside on any given evening, and by saying, “Everyone owes it to themselves to legally find a quiet pub in which to meet interesting people and enjoy a few beers.” Unfortunately, our generation has become exactly the opposite of this sentiment, as well as what any intelligent person fears-- a mass keg party with no sobriety of mind whatsoever. It is ironic; this nation that is infamous for being such an infusion of cultures has reduced social accomplishment and entertainment to mere drunkenness-- an outward symbol of an inward decay.
This is not at all a “phase“ that we will eventually grow out of, but an effect of something much grander in scale. We are not becoming better, nor are we simply going through a rough patch of morality. It is not just our generation that is like this, for the youth of today are the most prominent influence for the generation of tomorrow. A Soviet Communist Party Official once wrote, “If we could effectively kill the national pride and patriotism of just one generation, we will have won that country.” And so it is with this mindset of this carnal gratification. The more we nod our head in approval toward acts of the depraved, the more we kill national pride and patriotism within our generation.

We are leading our children to moral slaughter by our disregard for patriotism and morality (for, to have a high regard for patriotism is to have a high regard for morality). We are the example and epitome of depravity, but it does not phase us. We recede from the front lines of this war waged on moral corruption. We allow children (born and unborn) to die each day, we sit back and watch as teenagers throw away their lives for a moment of sexual gratification, we refuse to give money to the poor for fear that it might make us live with less than a brand new car and name brand clothes, we defile the institution of marriage under the guise of “civil liberties”, we tear mothers away from children in the name of “careers”, “feminine liberation”, and “equality”-- we do all of these things, claiming that “society is just moving forward.”

I will not accept this theory. While we are comfortable in front of our plasma screen televisions, sitting in our big fluffy armchairs, downing one shot of whiskey after another, wishing that we could be paid more because we’re women, asking the government to make it legal for a man to marry a man, standing behind our protest signs-- ignorant of what it means, or indolently preaching from pulpits tainted by complacency and deceit, the whole world is dying, and most of this death is at our hands, or at least the blood of it is on them.

These are our consequences to pay for our ignorance, arrogance, and love of convenience. But it is not the consequences we notice, only the discomfort caused by the thought that we might, in fact, be nothing more than spoiled American brats, with fathers who paved the way for our greatness-- American brats who decided long ago to make their own path (regardless of the effects), rather than follow tradition and virtue. This ideal is evident in every facet of the American life-- in our music, art, literature, poetry, architecture, ethics, politics, religion... We have no respect for the beauty of the traditional, and in turn, we create nothing but rootless pieces of emotional, adrenaline invoking drivel.

If America forgets where she came from, if the people lose sight of what brought them along, if she listens to the deniers and mockers, then will begin the rot and dissolution. - Carl Sandburg
We have turned into a terrific case of Attention Deficit Disorder. We cannot do anything that does not interest us, and we refuse to pay any mind to something that does not appear to be interesting at first glance. This is unnatural, in a way. Naturally, man is a curious creature-- one that will explore all possibilities unless he is distracted or contented by other things. He will not stop half-way and lose interest. We were created to learn, but our Americanism has stifled our passion for knowledge. Americanism has stifled our passion.

But is not passion the very thing this nation was founded on? A passion for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is what fueled our ancestors to give up all they had so that we could have everything-- and we do! Half of the world lives on less than two dollars a day. Our minimum hourly wage is $5.15, and we say this is not enough! We are the world’s greatest military power, and we complain about lack of national security during wartime! We have complete freedom of religion, but we form persecution complexes, rather than living by example and enjoying our rights.

“That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.” - Thomas Paine

If we do make the final decision to veer away from the moral tradition set before us by our predecessors, we make the decision to live with the consequences of such a ridiculous choice. What is new is not always better, but we will always try it (however ridiculous it may seem) because the myth of “The grass is always greener on the other side” is the height of American logic. It is what we are best at thinking, and what we are best at practicing. Ironically, after 200 years of trial and error, we cannot come to terms with the possibility that maybe (just maybe) tradition is not the thing ruining our nation, and maybe it will not cure all of our ills to legalize same sex marriage or murder more unborn children. It does not occur to us that fixing small political glitches will not feed the hungry, clothe the poor, or heal the diseased, and no… it will not, in fact, save the world.

Americans do not deserve America. We have cheapened the beauty of our nation and it’s role as the defender of man’s true rights-- the right to live well and free within the guidelines of morality. We have weakened this morality as well as our resolve for these things in the process. There is no mistaking that the United States of America is a selfish republic of immature politicians, asking no more of the world and their fellow citizens than what would benefit them most. It is an art we have become so skilled in that we have managed to distance ourselves from nearly every other nation on earth. This is in no way good or safe.

“They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety.” - Benjamin Franklin

In these days, every American wants to blame the troubles of America on every other American. Personal responsibility has been banished from our lifestyles. The inactivity of the American church is no longer the fault of inactive Americanized Christians. The corruption of the welfare system is not the fault of wealthy Americans who refuse to aid those less fortunate. The lack of civil rights is not the fault of an alienating people. No, instead, we blame the ACLU for our lack of Godly ways in America. We blame Democrats for the corrupt social welfare system we currently have. We blame Republicans for the absence of legal homosexual marriage in the majority of our state states. There is a scapegoat for everything, and Americans specialize in finding them where they are needed most.

What we fail to realize is, it is not everyone else’s fault. It is no one’s fault but our own. By the phrase, “Our own”, I do not mean America as a whole, but Americans as individuals. We have lost sight of the fact that all men are created equal, equal in every way. We are equal in our goodness and in our evils, and we are all guilty of diminishing the bright hope America could have.

Our problem is not with the ACLU, with the Republicans, the Democrats, the Christians, the Atheists, the Straights, the Gays, men, women, Yankees, confederates, baby boomers, Generation Xers, or any other social stereotype one can think of. Our sole problem lies in ourselves. Our issue is not one of politics, but one of moral tradition and the deep respect for it that we must hold if we are to reclaim this nation.

Kids these days...

Her:: i don't think Hillary will run this time either. She herself said about a year ago that she wouldn't. but i think she will the next time. If she does, I'm going to vote for her. That's only if Bush don't have the world destroyed by then. Men have led our country for 240 years now. They have proved what they can do. Which is not very much. The proof is in the pudding. It's time that we should have a woman in office.

Me:: "They have proved what they can do, which is not very much."I cannot BELIEVE you just said that. Good heavens...

Her:: What is it that you can't believe?

Me:: That someone would insinuate that our nation isn't great... that the fact that these men, whom you claim have not done "very much" in their time of leadership, have actually built our nation (the most powerful nation in the world) from nothing but a Charter and a nod of approval from the King of England, they revolutionized the world, they FREED THEMSELVES from Tyranny...... and you say they "haven't done very much"...Good heavens...THAT is what I can't believe.

More on a Successful Church...

If we are to actively pursue a Godly life, we must constantly submit to the mind of Christ. We cannot decide one moment that we are above this, and the next fall before the throne of God, claming to be wholey dependent on the cross. In the realm of mercy, it is all or nothing. God demands out righteousness and desires our full attention focused on things of purity.

He calls us to truly love one another, keeping no record of wrongs and delighting in only truth. Our practice of quarrelling over trivialities is revolting. Our habit of building up walls composed of the Bricks of Pointlessness is nothing short of abhorent. If we were true disciples of Christ, the world would know us by our love for each other. We would fulfill this notion of a city on a hill with such passion and dignity that none could doubt our commitment to our God or His Church.

Successful Church

On his site a while ago, Phillip posed some questions and I thought I'd answer them in the form of a post;

"A woman asked me this week what I think makes a successful church. You tell me.. what makes a successful church? Is it possible to have a truly "successful" church in these modern times? Do you know of any successful churches/What do they do?"

To me, a "successful church" is a very idealogical thing. The concept of a successful church is so far from me. I suppose that is bred from my discontent with my current church and the way they view a "successful ministry". Rather than radiating God's passion, truth, grace, power, and beauty, we've become accustomed to metering our ministry by the amount of attendees and members, or the grandeur of their facility. I know this isn't true of all churches-- it's not even true of all big churches, but the mentality is spreading fast, and I hate to see passion snuffed out by something so wrong.

On the flip side, I think that in order to have a successful church, Christians would have to change drastically. They would have to rid themselves of stigmatisms, stereotypes, and judgements they have toward non Christians. The only way we can get the Gospel to people successfully (which is the objective of a successful church) is to realize that we, as Christians, need Christ JUST as much as they do. JUST as much. God is a rescuer. He rescued us and placed us in a body of believers that could potentially be so great if we just tried... if we stopped thinking about what pragmatic ideas we could use to reach people (rather than filling pews, we touched hearts), and we made sure that every moment of our lives is governed by the idea that we are here to glorify God and love others feircely.

The success of a Biblical church isn't in the intensity of the worship, the magnificence of the preaching, the number of people, or the size of a building-- it's in the hearts of the people, because that is what The Church is; a body of God-fearing believers who are ready and willing to step out and fervently minister to those around them, regardless of who they are, where they come from, how they live, or where they're at currently.

"I want neither a blood'n'guts religion that would make Clint Eastwood, not Jesus, our hero, nor a speculative religion that would imprison the Gospel in the halls of academia, nor a noisy, feel-good religion that is a naked appeal to emotion. I long for passion, intelligence, and compassion in a Church without ostentation, gently beckoning to the world to come and enjoy the peace and unity we possess because of the Spirit in our midst." - Brennan Manning

somewhere i have never travelled

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands
-- e. e. cummings

Dear Sisters!

I'm begging every young woman to read this... simply begging you. I want to begin by saying, you're beautiful. Don't ever think differently, don't ever let anyone tell you differently. This world tears us up so much. It builds up an expectaion- physical, emotional, mental, spiritual- that we don't really need to live up to in order to be the women of grace, honor, and beauty we're called (by God-- for our fellow humans, our future world, and our very beings) to be.

This womanhood is not built up by trashy clothes (no matter how "sexy"), self-disrespect, record breaking amounts of dates, playing the field, guys staring at us, fitting a "scene", "expressing ourselves", destroying ourselves, obsessing over ourselves, obsessing over guys, disrespecting guys, feminism, anti-feminism, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, sports, bodies, fatness, skinniness, grades, "our" future, careers, jobs, hobbies, lust, greed, talents, gifts, curses, or any other carnal, human thing I could list.

This womanhood is built upon so much more. It's built up by the things we never really think about-- the things that could forge us into masterpeices if we'd only look past our "modernized", independant, flashy, "womanly" acts.

Our womanhood can only be built up by integrity, accountability, love, grace, valor, looking people in the eye and telling the truth about ourselves (happy or sad). We become better women everytime we refuse to use a guy; everytime we decide to encourage him, rather than make out with him.; everytime we look for the good in him, and realize-- just as we could be more as women, he could be more as a man.

Our womanhood is built up when we treat fellow women with deep respect; When we hold each others' hands rather than pointing a finger; When we sooth fears, rather than spread rumors or tell lies. We become better women when we are passionate about the lives we live-- not just things within our lives, but the fact that we have one to live.

Dear sisters, be more. You can, and I encourage you to. Seek the beauty that is in you. Strive to be honorable, graceful, confident, selfless, and open... because that's how we were meant to be.

the truth of unrealities...

Him: Your spirituality and believes shouldn't have structure, rules, leaders,
followers, buildings and Hierarchy. It should be yours

Me:
beliefs...What about truth?

Him: that's right truth isn't real it's an
opinion just like reality.

that saddens me...

For anyone interested: Franz Kafka's , "A Hunger Artist."

today

Whilst I was wrapping a very rude woman's butter dish in layaway today, I heard faintly in the background of the store a song being played. The lyrical content of this song struck me.

"There are no mistakes in love"

This is nonsense.

They shut off the music

I've always wanted to be something far beyond beautiful... to shed this dimmed, tarnished, carnal skin and truly reflect the beauty of the world around me and the God within me. What kind of processes must one go through to do that? I don't even want to look like me, to be honest. There's far to many wonderful things in this world to be trying to attract attention to myself.

Meanwhile.
I've been reading a lot lately. Daphne DuMaurier is by far the best female writer ever to live. She writes musically, softly, as though nothing should ever be taken as surprising. Everytime I read any of her stories, I think I know exactly what's going on-- but it always turns out that I am incredibly wrong. Incredible.

In the world of retail.
As many may know (and as all should know), it is the day after Christmas. Ah, loverly Boxing day. I never had a real appreciation (or depreciation) for it until I worked an 8 hour shift during one of the best sales in St. Peters, Missouri. That's right. HomeGoods had their annual "50% off the lowest ticket price of all holiday motif items". Granted, I don't work for HomeGoods... at least, they don't pay me. I definitely sold a lot of their merchandise today!

Well.
I should go. Peace to all.

Well, I WAS a Xanga girl

I, Jessica Rose Goodwin, am creating a TRUE blog. That's right. I want to be one of those weird, obscure, poetic types who learn the ways of cyber space just to create an audience who will follow religiously their works of literature, thier thoughts, and other peoples' thoughts (and works of literature) that they choose to share with the world (even though they are so obviously available to anyone who chooses to look for them.)

So, it will definitely take me a while. I'll still keep my Xanga Site. But From here on out, this will be my main focus.

I hope.