Besides marking the beginning of the spring, the month of March also carries a wonderful little holiday on the 8th of the month called ‘International Woman’s Day’. In fact, when I was growing up in the Soviet Union, the country which exists no more – this holiday felt more like a mix of a Valentine’s and Mother’s Day. On that day, husbands tended to their wives’ needs and brought flowers. Kids gifted their Mom’s with cards and such, and in school classrooms the boys congratulated the girls. On my journey of life it would never occur to me that I would be writing an article celebrating women – after all, I dislike institutional feminism and consider myself a self-made business owner who makes no excuses for
being a woman on the path to success. However, the road to wisdom is a curious thing and having just turned 50, I am happy to share my evolved vision of womanhood with you all.
If you examine the world art history trends of the 20th century, you will surely note a remarkable painting style called pointillism – it is exemplified by a well-known work called A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. When you look at this painting very closely, you see a gazillion of brush point strokes, each unique in its qualities. When you step back and assess the work the way an art lover does, you see a perfect whole image of a moment of life frozen in time. This is exactly how I see the women of the world today: timid and bold, young and old, black and white and all the colors in between, career women and homemakers, wives, sisters and daughters of all the nations of the World. They are surely unique in their God-given qualities and talents and yet, they make up the world’s majestic flower called ‘One Woman’. Some of you have been fortunate to feel what it’s like to be a part of the One Woman and some of you have not yet discovered her. But when you do come across that feeling of being “One” with all the women of the world, albeit for a moment
– I assure you – it will be one of the best emotions you have ever felt. You basically feel at one with Nature.
Respect, compassion and infinite love are what One Woman evokes in humanity. She brings us home and makes us feel safe and secure. She is nourishing and kind. She is a creative thinker and a child of her times. She can accomplish anything she will set her mind to. One Woman is the dominant force in medicine, law, politics, science, technology, music, fine arts and just about any sphere of life nowadays. And yet none of this infinite prosperity would be possible for the One Woman if she did not have her Man – a Yang to her Yin, a force to counterbalance her qualities and desires – a true partner in her Tango of Life. I have noticed this so many times over the course of my 20 plus years in medicine: a woman with the right man will bloom like a beautiful flower and a woman with the the wrong man or no man – will shrivel emotionally like a wilt leaf. The right man would bring his wife to an office appointment with punctuality and would visit her in the hospital with devotion. While some women would sadly bide their hospital time in loneliness, other – lucky ones– would feel uplifted by their men’s loyal campout at their
bedside with sandwiches.
In a turbulent world of today where men and women often tend to pick at each other’s faults, rather than appreciate one another’s positive qualities, there is often a lack of understanding of the other side. Women frequently brand men insensitive when men act stoic and rock-stable, while men often complain of women as nagging when women act nurturing and persistent. And when will these and many more misunderstandings end?
I hope and pray that they will end with a woman rising to an occasion. Indeed, in this month of March, I celebrate the One Woman – an energy force made up of billions of women around the globe who are capable of repairing all of the transgressions of this world with the glue of love.
