Thought Paper on Female Genital Mutilation

 

Every person has the right to say NO, and everyone is entitled to choose what he thinks is good and beneficial for himself. However regardless of these rights, one’s free will is sometimes caged by the society he is in. Following what he wants may show signs of deviation and therefore he is often times treated with prejudice.

 

 

In a country where people strictly adhere to their beliefs and traditions, culture often gets into the way of experiencing the totality of one’s freedom. The Female Genital Mutilation or FGM is a perfect example of rituals being performed without proper procedure and scientific basis. Although this practice has been present for more than decades, as a woman and a person who values individual rights, I am supporting Waris Dirle’s advocacy against FGM.

 

Why am I against FGM? First, it can kill innocent females as young as five years old. Let us face it, the procedure of the surgery in unhygienic and is practiced by people who are not even experts on medical field. The surgery itself may not cause the death, but they may most likely die of infection since the instruments used may not even qualify as standard tools for operating humans. Second, it robs the opportunity of women to experience pleasure during sex. It is not women should be very particular of it, but it is part of adulthood. Why prohibit women or why only women? Are they not entitled of anything, from opportunities in the society, power-relations, and now even simply experiencing pleasure? Lastly, it brings a lifetime nightmare, a traumatic past no girls would ever forget. A person who experienced FGM carries the burden physically, emotionally and psychologically until the she dies. At an early age, one should be enjoying her childhood rather than enduring the pains given for free by mandated traditions that only few bothered to question.

 

I am not disrespecting anyone’s culture. I myself is a slave to society’s traditions but the only difference is, I know when to stop being one especially if it means endangering myself and putting my fellowmen into life-threatening situations.

 

Things that I hate to do but I have to

Routines that I hate doing

House

• I hate to take a bath almost everyday but I have to or else I’ll stink.
• I hate to brush my teeth because it consumes my energy but I have to or else I’ll lose them in no time.
• I hate to comb my hair because it hurts and my hands are lazy but I have to or else I’ll look a rape victim.
• I hate to iron my clothes but I have to or else my father will scold me.
• I hate to fix my bed because within few hours I’ll be sleeping again…but I have to or else my mother will throw me outside the house.

School:

• I hate to  memorize my schedule but I have to or else I’ll enter the wrong class…or worst…I won’t be attending any.
• I hate to answer my teachers questions but I have to or else they’ll think I’m stupid.
• I hate to mingle with my schoolmates who are not my type but I have to or else I won’t have anyone to ask help during exams or reports.
• I hate attending forums about economy and politics because it won’t make any difference but I have to because attendance will be checked.
• I hate to fall in line in buying food because I have to wait  for how many minutes but I have to or else I’ll be scolded by others.

What I like about “Dear Miss Manners”

After almost four years of visiting the library and just staring at this encyclopedic like book, I finally got to open it and read its content…Just the first few pages of course since I got classes to attend.

The book which I find interesting is about how people should act with etiquette even in the most unexpected situation. Dear Miss Manners gives the readers the simplest solution in dealing with day-to-day problems with confidence and grace.

As I was reading, here are the quotable lines which I really like…

“If one does the right thing, one does not have to read nasty little books about how to deal with guilt”

“You wouldn’t trust a preacher who never experienced the temptation of sin”

“Who says there is a right way of doing things and a wrong?”

“Two wrongs make a blight”

“We now have a world full of new, improved people who are really ready to move on to improving others. This had better stop before there are no good people left”

“Most people can be trusted to behave personally well when they are in love and perfectly dreadfully when they have been dumped”

“Magazines are full of suggestions to help one fool people about one’s identity”

and the one that struck me most is…..

‎”The bride’s wish that the wedding be “the happiest day of her life” came true. Each succeeding day was slightly less happy than one before, finally they divorced.”

Surrender the WHITE flag

(Random thoughts again)

I am an outgoing person who tries to live for today and enjoy the fullest of life. I can say at some point that I am liberated, aggressive and adventurous when it comes to being an adolescent, a teenager and a young adult.

Being open-minded and a free spirit, I take responsibility with my actions even if often times they are not justifiable and often make me vulnerable.

I may go easy on things but there is a part of me saying, I am conservative when it comes to sex.

Let us face the fact that it has been a trend to most teenagers nowadays to loosen up and be one of the American kids who lose their virginity on promenade.

Whenever I am asked about when will I give up and surrender my white flag…I used to say right away after marriage. So ironic for someone like me to say that yet I said that before. (I just want to clear things…LONG LIVE THE VIRGINS)

Now ask me again, and I will answer it not when…but rather, to whom should I give in?

I no longer consider time and my civil status… I am just particular with the person…the right one of course. But by saying Mr. Right does not necessarily mean my husband or boyfriend. He could be just anyone whom I find worthy. He could be a married man, an ex-boyfriend, a fling or even a random stranger.

What is virginity anyway? Something that is represented a layer that we call hymen. Something that could be repaired with modern technology…but is it really just that? It is more spiritual and moral I guess. As long as I will not be losing it because of force entry like rape, then I shall say I have taken good care of it.

So for me…it will not be when…but to whom

just a thought

Destiny (Inspired by my Literature Class)

What is it really? Is it something that controls our lives or something we CAN control to make our lives better? Whenever we fail or did not have that something we’ve wanted, we always reasoned out that it was not meant to be…as the cliché goes, it was not written in the stars…

But who makes our destiny? Does it even exist in the first place or just any other myths like Santa Claus and Love?

What if a relationship failed to work out? Was the couple not meant or they were actually but they did not try their best to be the right person each other?

Whenever an employee loses his job does it mean he was destined for other things or he was the right person for that job but his efforts were not enough to make him stay?

When a beauty and brains contestant turns out to be just the first runner up does it mean

she was not destined to have the crown or she was indeed a winner but she failed to give it all?

Most of us would say, if we are destined, we’ll always end up together no matter what and when. We often let that destiny thingy controls us. We believe so much that sometimes we ended up with nothing. We waited for so long but there was none left for us. It is because we left it all to chances.

Chances…I guess it is more an appropriate term to use than destiny. If all we can do is wait and live our lives randomly yet we believe that there is a happy ending for all of us…then it is all about chances. It is something we cannot totally control. It comes and it goes and it is a one-shot deal. Whereas destiny I believe…we control it. But we often resort to the reasoning like destiny failed us…it was fate. We say these statements to actually make our loads lighter…in short, to justify our wrong actions…for not grabbing the chance of having your dream when it was knocking on our door.

Sometimes we have to be the right person every time in order to be given the right opportunities. We should not let our beliefs of destiny take over because that destiny thingy could just result to wasted chances.  We should believe in ourselves and believe that we can be/have that thing we want through proper timing and enough effort. There are no destiny and chances…we make our own happiness.

Meant to be…not meant to be, forget it. The more we try to depend on wishful luck the more we are prone to the hidden dangers of the world. The more we lose track of what we supposed to be doing rather than sitting still and waiting for that destiny to transform into reality.