Girls and Boys

Sunday, November 20, 2005

My family is full of girls. Me, my sister and my mom. Okay, so not full, but there's more of us than there are boys. Poor dad. He's outnumbered 3:1. But, he can't complain because he has 3 people to bake him treats instead of just 1! I know he loves us to pieces and I've never heard him once complain about the lack of sons. In fact, just after my sister was born a friend of my dad's asked him if he was disappointed because it was another girl and he said, "Heck no. The only thing a boy can do that a girl can't, is pee standing up." I still possess the same stubbornly independent spirit I had back then so you can only imagine how my stubbornly independent, yet innocent brain processed this information. After hearing this revelation, I went into the bathroom. A few minutes later, I came out triumphantly to proclaim that I proved my dad wrong...I could in fact, pee standing up. I'm not sure whether my dad was embarrassed or proud. Probably a bit of both. Although still as stubbornly independent as ever, I don't feel the need to prove myself by continuing to pee like a boy.
I recently watched a movie that is based on a book called the Whale Rider. I was told that the author wrote it for his two daughters, who after watching action movies asked why it is that the boy is always the hero, while the girl is the one that needs to be rescued. It is an amazing story. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet. I'm going to give away the basic plot line now, so if you don't want me to wreck the surprise, read the rest of this later.
A little girl named Pai is the heroine of the story who lives in a small community in New Zealand. All her life, she is made to feel inadequate because she is a female. With the death of her twin brother and her survival, she broke the chain of chiefs in her family that have descended from the ancient ancestors and ruled for more than a millennium. This is extremely upsetting for her proud grandfather and he states throughout the movie that a girl is of no use to him. Pai constantly strives to gain both her grandfather’s love and approval. In a heartfelt speech dedicated to her grandfather, Pai expresses that true leaders are those that encourage everyone and that sometimes the leader you’re searching for is already among you. She knows that she is capable of leading despite the fact that she is a girl. In the end, Pai’s sacrificial gesture proves her selfless love for both her people and grandfather. He finally realizes that Pai is truly the next chief of the people. In the end, the people launch a canoe, a maiden voyage, with Pai and her grandfather leading the way, together. It’s an amazing story, and my brief summary doesn’t do it justice, so watch the movie, you’ll be more than inspired.
Pai is an inspiration to me. I’m not oppressed, ridiculed or made to feel inadequate in anyway…so I’m not attempting to draw a parallel between our lives. I'm inspired by her selfless love for those around her that provided her with the strength she needed to survive and thrive as a leader in her community. I hope that one day I can lead a lifestyle like Pai, believing in truth, love and hope for her people and empowering others with a will to move boldly into the future, together.

posted by Rachel Pede @ 3:23 AM   0 comments