Where are the Men?
By
Dewey Maggard
In recent years, we have seen a tremendous increase of women in all phases the business world,local and federal government and armed services. We see them as Fire chiefs, and Police officers, even as prison Warden’s and most recently, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Some of the more conspicuous places is in the Media, and Televesion news reporting. We see them in many of the prestiguous magazines as editors. We see them as C E O’s of corporate business. Also we see them in the higher education positions as school Principals, Superintendents, and Secretary of Education. Where do we not see them? When announcements must be made from government agencies, and various institutions, most often, the spokesperson is a woman. How did all of this happen?
From all of the above, one could t hink there is an inherent compulsion among women to be in a position of rulership. I say this due to current elation in speeches by women in our government referring to their great victory- and the long hard road to their gains in our government houses. The House of Representatives has just elected Nancy Peolosi to be their Speaker of the House. This of course is hailed by the various women’s organizations as a great victory. Now I must ask, why do they speak of this as “Victory” ? It almost seems that the women have been waging a war for power. It is most obvious that women can and do play important roles in most every facet of our daily lives. Yet, I believe there is a terrible paradox in this realm of women in professional and/or normal work place. In many instances they have filled the gaps from the loss of our men in wars.
There are several key elements in the paradox where it is true that too many women have become victims of economic forces. Many women haven chosen to be independent as the job markets have become more prone to engage women. This has led the younger women to become career seekers. Consequently they see no reason to begin a partnership where there is dependency on a man.. These forces have evolved over a period of several years, Easy credit no doubt is a main culprit. For example, I can remember when couples were required to have a third down to buy a home. – The war came along, and women began to go to work. It wasn’t long before the banks began to allow the incomes from both couples to qualify for a home. The depression had taken a heavy toll-due to lack of buying power- Now that easy credit came into existence, appliances of every description became available and the race was on. By that I mean, it began to require both incomes in order to have all these wonderful new inventions. So the mother, the housewife began to feel the pressure to help pay for all of this. Then, the beginning of World War Two began the exodus of women from the home to the work place. In the process, children began to suffer and become victims. They became subjected to baybsitters and part-time parents. The husband began to feel the pressure because Mom simply wasn’t able to carry the load she had been doing previous to all of the “new utopia” The husband and father’s role had not changed; He was in the middle caught in a vice. The vice was now debts brought on by this new easy credit. The economic reality was simply too much for too many: breakdown and divorce followed. .
Divorce had been relatively rare until then- when the divorce rate began to climb dramatically. Homes were broken up and the children were now the victims through no fault of theirs. Everyone in the family became a loser. America the beautiful began on a downward spiral. We have seen too many of the young becoming drug addicts, alcholics, prostitutes with trials in all the vices. Also where there was no broken family, children became the oppressors of their parents. Many parents actually paid their kids to hit the streets- gave them money to get them out of the way. This was prevalent especially during the 1960’s and has continued. Many readers will be able to relate to these facts. One could easily see a mass exodus of the young hitting the streets and the parks. Travel along any isolated coastal and mountainous regions and their camp sites were all too visible .
Where close-knit families once existed and where familes sat at their evening meals together and where prayer was offered at the dinner table now became a past event.
From what we have seen of the above in recent times, and what we are seeing in the present, it is most obvious that the men of our families are a vital and necessary part of our lives. As important as Mom, the mothers or housewives are,we readily see it is the man-husband and/or father who is the protector. When he has a devoted wife who is mother of his children, usually, It is he who will lay down his life for his family .
It is because of the brave men of our predecessors that we enjoy what freedoms we still have. It is he who went to war to protect his loved ones. Modern warfare has created a place for women in the armed forces and this can be seen as filling certain non-combatant gaps. Yet, I for one do not wish to see any of the women in my family anywhere near the front lines in any capacity. They are not the ones who go out on patrol-who meet the enemy in house to house combat or who advance along side of tanks in a raging battle. So yes, they can fill a certain need as has been shown- but let’s not make a career out of the armed services. One of the reasons, so many women enter the services is for educations which the government offers to pay for. It is their hope to gain a career- to be independent. Too often, the women who make careers in armed forces usually can not become an integral loving part of a family partnership.
We are living in an age of too much liberality- where everything goes. Our society is not serious about the consequences of the immorality, I don’t know about you dear reader, but I am sick of the daily televised newscasts where all they have to report is crime in all it’s aspects. Almost everyday, we are told of murders, rapes, burglaries , drunk divers embezzlements, illicit behaviour in elected leadership-and the list seems endless.
In conclusion, none of this need be too surprising to the serious student of the bible because much of the above mentioned is foretold. We read in the King James version of our bibles- in Isaiah 3;12 as follows; ” As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them, O my people, they which lead thee cause the to err and destroy the way of thy pathes.” We may not like what we just read- but it does appear to be an integral reality of our times.
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