My heart is a little sad today and I have to admit quite heavy. Over the last week I have had frequent and vivid reminders of how little value women place on themselves.

1. A friend posted on facebook that in a recent survey when given a choice between a large chest and a big intellect women would largely opt to have a big chest.

2. An acquaintance is attending the funeral of her niece who lost her life to domestic violence.

3. Ethical debate has now led to the admission that killing a newborn child is the same as killing an unborn child. A victory? Perhaps except they argue that it is therefore okay to kill a newborn child and call it “post birth abortion”.

4. I’ve watched brilliant and amazing women undermine themselves and limit themselves. Some by thinking they are incapable and some by thinking they have to be the most (loud, crude,  controversial).

5. It seems we are always fighting each other instead of supporting each other (a whole post required on this). It’s skinny vs curvy, stay at home vs work outside the home, single vs married, male vs female, urban vs rural. Busy fighting each other.

6. Daily reminders that there are an estimated 27 million slaves world-wide today (more than in any previous period of history) and that most of them are women and children in the sex trade.

And so, my heart is heavy. Heavy because we seem to be moving backward and not forward. Heavy because we seem to be losing more and more ground as women. Heavy because the battle of the sexes has left us with no winners and instead has created shallow measures of value. Heavy because we truly give so little regard to life that we throw away the precious in order to obtain the worthless. Remember when Wall-E finds a diamond engagement ring in a blue velvet box? He chucks the ring and keeps the box.

If we take away the political fluff around the issues. If we stop long enough to be silent and listen to the small voice. If we just stop for a moment, maybe we will finally realize that in our haste to win we’ve lost the prize.

So my heart is heavy, but not hopeless.