USA Today recently published their "well-being checklist" and identified what has been called "the happiest woman in America". Meet Mary Orenic. What is it that makes for the happiest women?
Well, the happiest women live in California, work full-time for an employer, make over $120,000 a year, are married with no children under 18 years old, do not have care-giving responsibilities, have strong family support and 1-5 hours of social interaction per day. They are happiest when they work as managers or executives, have a short commute to work, and eat 5 servings of fruits and 4 vegetables (minimum) per day. Cool!
Seriously?
There is more, and some of it is a no-brainer, but ... seriously? Have they lived in California? No, more to the point, does it really matter where a woman lives for her to be happy? Oh, sure, individuals, but I know of women who wouldn't dream of living in California. That would be miserable. Been there, done that, don't want to go back.
Indeed, many of these qualifications would eliminate the vast majority of women for all time. The stay-at-home mom is right out. She is not the executive, not making $120,000 a year, not working for an employer, buried under kids under 18, and often social-interaction deprived. Miserable!
Dennis Prager recently put out his Four Legacies of Feminism. It's a good read. According to Prager, these are four of the repercussions of feminism:
1. Women should have sex like men do -- freely, frequently, without commitment.
2. Women should develop their careers before marrying or having a family.
3. It is best if women work outside the home.
4. Men are demasculinized.
I think he's right. I think, on the other hand, that he has only scratched the surface. And the societal shift continues into all aspects of life and even into the church.
In the words of one of my favorite lesser-known biblical characters, "We do not well." (Go ahead, figure out who that was.)
2 comments:
The flipside of this is that are probably women who meet this "checklist" who aren't happy as well. Also, for most women looking at this, it is absolutely unattainable. It is basically saying that having money and not having to care for others will make you happy, which is exactly the opposite of the gospel, in my opinion.
As is so often the case in our world, people use the wrong thing to achieve what they want and find out they don't get it. You know. "Looking for love in all the wrong places." Measuring success. And here they draw up a checklist for happiness that removes many of the things helpful for happiness and assigns things that brings no happiness. Go figure.
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