Star of Davida Essay Contest: Honorable Mention Jackie O

What is a woman? One’s perception of femininity matters, for whenever the strength of the feminine spirit is mistaken for a willingness to submit to falsity, power becomes ignorance. Indeed, the significance of gender expression exists in what makes freedom imperative. While humanity possesses intrinsic limitations, its paradox is transformed by faith. The masculine and the feminine exist harmoniously in feminism, as its house is called Mutuality. Delicacy becomes the living, but what presents itself is Patience. Faith in what can be accomplished by the intuition makes all the difference.

Risk-taking as it appears in tradition is one thing; faith in the presence of the spirit is another. Feminism is about ethical empowerment, and being enlightened regarding the causes of the movement has been life-changing for me. Actually, its resounding importance has been clear not only in the grief I have felt for women and minorities in their struggles for equality, but in the hope I am free to have, in the mercy of a higher power. Feminism has done so much for me; it is with gratitude that I have come to realize its accomplishments.

In my heart, discoveries are yet to be made. This is the wonder of faith. Externally, I am inspired by the work of my country’s New Democratic Party. Its recognition of common law relationships as legitimate partnerships, its recognition of the importance of making therapeutic abortion services available, and its recognition of the rights of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community all encompass an approach which resonates with me. The ability to embrace diversity is a trait which speaks to the maternal nature of a masculine God – it is a trait which all can share in. Indeed, I believe that feminism is about empowering all individuals to tap into the inner strength they possess, and I see feminism as a key principle guiding the actions of Canada’s New Democratic Party.

Formerly, I was undecided about which Canadian political party I favoured. Thinking back to the election that took place when I was in fourth grade, I remember being intuitively in favour of the NDP. Of course, the legitimacy of a child’s intuition is often mistaken for what makes him and her impressionable, and that’s the influence of a manipulative soul. Hopefully my new-found tendency to identify as a feminist is not the result of manipulation – as I could succumb to rhetoric against faith – but the result of divine liberation. For instance, the obscurity which with I write may or may not achieve the directness I am going for, but the artistic soul with which each of us is born remains a part of what I want to achieve in solidarity with other children who see themselves in the limitless sky. Yes, I am a woman. A woman is a child just as a man is.