On April 29. 2012, I went to bed troubled in spirit. You see, there are THOUSANDS of women in India who are abandoned, cast aside, ostracized, and left to spend their remaining lives as beggars. All because they lost their husbands. In the holy city of Vrindavan, otherwise called "City Of Widows", women come together for 3 hours a day and chant to the girlfriend of their god in return for a scoop of rice and several rupees (in US currency, about 6 cents). Yes they may have extended family, children and the like, but because they are WIDOWS, their families believe they are financial burdens.
My first question was who decided this would become the tradition of India? Someone had to come up with the ideology that women who lose their husbands are burdens, worthless, and unfit. THAT is the danger of ideology. It starts as a thought, and if BELIEVED, begins to shape the mindset and actions of the individual. If that individual happens to be a person of power, the beliefs spread and can infect an entire society. Think Hitler. And if not challenged, it can infect generations and generations to come. It's understandable why many people won't challenge an ideology. If this is "just how we do things" or "this is how it's always been" why challenge it?
Normally people in positions of power benefit from the ideologies. It takes someone in that position of power to step OUTSIDE of themselves for the greater good. For example, the men of India obviously benefit more than the women in terms of status and other cultural benefits, so why would a man challenge the status quo? It would take a man to step OUT of his cultural comfort zone, put himself in a woman's shoes (so to speak), and challenge the system of his society. It takes guts, courage, and compassion to do so.
Ideologies come in many forms: political, cultural, racial, gender, religious, familial, marital, etc. Again, the ones who benefit are normally the ones who are in some position of power. That position of power is sometimes by choice or by default. For example, if you're born white, whether you want to admit it or not or even realize it, that puts you in a position of power and privilege here in America. If you're a man, same thing, if you're heterosexual, if you're non-disabled, etc. Whatever group is in the majority, that group is in a position of power. NOW what are you going to do with that power? Will you continue to spread certain ideologies that aren't beneficial for the greater good? Remember all it takes is a thought that was passed on to you or me that continues to spread throughout society. Those ideologies are triggered when we come in contact with groups of people that go against what our ideology says. For example, I'm told that disabled people can't do much. That's probably how I would treat them as well. Not in a negative way, but I would likely pamper and treat them as if they're hopeless, and would try to do everything for them. BUT that ideology has been challenged in many many ways. Great examples are Helen Keller, Michael J. Fox, Itzhak Perlman, Toni Erickson Tada, etc. So NOW I have the choice: am I going to continue to spread my ideology or am I going to SHIFT MY THINKING and spread what has been proven otherwise. It doesn't matter what the majority of a group does or doesn't do, if ONE person does something different, then that means there are OTHERS who can do the same or are doing the same. I hope this makes sense. It takes EACH of us to change the status quo, to change the negative traditions of our society, to HELP those who are being targeted by our thinking.
The flip side, it is up to the "victims" NOT to believe what certain ideologies say about them! If you're a woman, you don't have to believe that all you're good for is getting married and having babies. If that is your choice, that is one thing. If you're black, you don't have to believe that it's the white man's fault the reason you don't prosper or get ahead in life. Again, you have a choice! What do YOU believe about YOURSELF?
One thing I LOVE about Christianity is I believe it's a religion of freedom! Any pastor or church that preaches otherwise, RUN. LOL My heart goes out to the widows in India, because I KNOW God sees them differently. The first part of James 1:27 (Amplified) is: "External [a]religious worship [[b]religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need". I'm sure God in all His awesomeness doesn't mind if this pure outward expression of worship extends to ANYONE who is in affliction and need. ALL GROUPS who are "victims" of erroneous ideologies. Let's pray that the widows in Vrindavan will see themselves the way God does, and that India be changed for the cause of Christ.
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