Thought for today:
"Feelings are meant to be expressed in their most appropriate and healthy manner and when they aren't, their repression will inevitably lead to emotional disturbance and ill-health. That is the single truth which 70 years of life and 35 years of research into human behaviour patterns have taught me.
I grew up in an age where big boys didn't cry and good girls rarely thought nasty thoughts and most certainly never expressed the ones they did. These were the days when nice girls didn't fight. It was the domain of the boys to break arms and legs in their rough and tough games whereas the girls were meant to skip and play nicely with their dolls.
Whenever boys weren't stamping on spiders or breaking the wings of butterflies, they remained constantly duty-bound to protect and defend their good name. They would consequently meet the slightest of insults with a fighting challenge outside the school gates at 4 pm. The fight would go on until first blood was drawn or one of the opponents said, 'I give up.' There was never shame to be felt by a fighter uttering theses words. Shame was only felt by those boys who refused to fight for their honour and those who used any weapon or other part of their body than a fist.
These were the days when men fought in a world war and never spoke of their action thereafter. These were the days when a good woman was thought to be a wife who would stand by her husband, whatever his wrongs and would turn a blind eye when his strayed too long in another woman's direction. These were often days of bitter regret for having believed too many false promises from the man they once thought they loved, but after giving birth to his sixth child, knew deep down, all such love once felt had long since disappeared and wouldn't return. These were the days when one laid in the bed one made, however uncomfortable the sleeping arrangements proved to be thereafter. These were said to be the 'good old days,' but were they really so?
Since I first married, life and attitudes have changed so much; some for the better and some for the worse. I am however glad that today, people of all ages, from the moment that they are able to express their feelings, are in the main encouraged by parents, teachers and society to honestly do so; particularly where others are abusing them.
No person or creature should ever be expected to continue to endure that which should never have been felt in the first place. No individual should ever be subjected to bullying, brutality, abuse, injustice, prejudice, discrimination, sexism or any other manner of human demeanor. No person should ever be forced to engage in any act which their heart, mind or soul does not wish them to go along with.
Unfortunately, the customs of the good old days effectively discouraged the women folk speaking out whenever they experienced such injustice from their marriage partner and prevented them effectively doing anything about their lot in order to seek redress and correction.
To ensure that such times never return, women must never be afraid to tell it as it is and to speak out. The only way for any individual ( man, woman or child), to be truly happy and to know that they deserve respect, is to honestly and appropriately express the way they feel at the moment of its birth." William Forde: March 9th, 2014
