thoughts-of-an-african

[thoughts-of-an-african]

The Age of Confusion

I read somewhere that change is the only constant thing in this chaotic world. While this statement may seem paradoxical, it made so much sense. I’m not nearly old enough to witness with my own eyes what the world was like half a century ago but the modern world has provided enough tools for me to be a second hand witness. My observation is one that is shared by most, if not all, people; the new world is unrecognizable compared to the old.

The drastic change that time has brought upon us comes in different forms. Some changes are very obvious and “in your face!”, while other changes are subtle but equally important. Prime examples of some of the obvious changes are the technological advancements. It doesn’t matter if you’re travelling or sitting at home watching TV, you can’t ignore how our lives are affected by technology, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. I’m more interested in the subtle changes, specifically the changes made in societal gender roles.

It’s fairly evident that women have always been handed the short end of the stick when it came to gender roles. While this problem has been somewhat alleviated in recent years, we still have a long way to go. In previous times we lived in a world where women weren’t allowed to explore their interests and go for the things that they wanted. Instead it was expected of them to fit into this box that was designed to solely benefit the other gender.

While the above mentioned problem is still prevalent, it has evolved into something a bit different. This evolution comes with the new age idea of liberation. Society has now somewhat (emphasis on the word “somewhat”) realized something that should have been obvious millennia ago, no group of people should dictate how another group lives their lives. Each woman should decide her own path without being metaphorically (and in some cases literally) being stoned for being different. This transition from the old ways to the new puts us in this awkward place where we try to move forward but are still held back by the bony talons of the past.

We want to live in a world that’s black and white, a world where you are either liberated or oppressed, but that is not the case. The world isn’t as binary as we’d like; it’s full of confusing grey areas. Women want to have a complete say in what they do and what they like but they also have a fear of the judgment that comes with that degree of liberation. The sad part is that you can’t say that this fear is baseless because we humans aren’t solitary animals and we require interaction with and, oftentimes, approval of others. These other people may not be as open-minded as we’d like them to be and their judgment is harsh and ever-present.  While most of the judgment comes from people born and raised in past times with the flawed values of the past, there is still a considerable amount coming from people born in modern times. Every day we witness young people acting in a way that is unexpected for this generation. The judgment coming from the male gender is not as surprising because the idea of female liberation brings with it the destruction of the unfair privileges enjoyed by males in the past. The surprising phenomenon, in this case, is the judgment coming from other women. This judgment is gut-wrenching because it feels like being stabbed in the back by the same people you’re fighting for. This is why this new age problem, the fear of liberation, is very valid and it leaves women in a grey and confusing area where they make moves of liberation and periodically back away from them for fear of judgment and being ostracized by society. This observation has provoked me to quite dramatically call this new age “The Age of Confusion”.