If you always have consciousness of gender equality at the heart

The words of Isabella Lövin, “If you always have consciousness of gender equality at the heart of your policies, then you will have much more democratic, much more sustainable development,” resound like a bell through the ages — a call not only to reason, but to the soul of humanity. In these words lies a wisdom as old as civilization itself: that no people can be truly free while half their number live in shadow. Equality, she teaches, is not a decoration for the righteous, nor a favor bestowed by the powerful, but the foundation of justice, the cornerstone of endurance in all human progress.

In the time of the ancients, societies rose and fell not merely by the strength of their armies or the wealth of their trade, but by the spirit that guided their governance. When the heart of policy was blind to the balance between man and woman, power and compassion, strength and wisdom — those civilizations withered, like a tree that forgot to draw water from its roots. To have consciousness of gender equality is to keep alive the divine equilibrium that breathes life into the world. For woman and man are the two wings of the same bird; should one wing falter, the creature cannot rise.

Consider the story of Empress Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in the long annals of China. Her reign was marked by controversy and resistance, for she ascended in a world that believed no woman could rule. Yet under her governance, scholars were promoted by merit, agriculture was strengthened, and art flourished. Though history remembers her with both reverence and suspicion, she proved that when a woman’s vision is allowed to shape destiny, the realm may prosper anew. Her rise was not the triumph of one woman alone, but a crack in the wall that for centuries had divided the human spirit against itself.

Isabella Lövin’s words spring from the modern world, yet they echo these timeless truths. As Sweden’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Development, she saw with her own eyes that sustainability — the harmony between people and planet — cannot exist without equality. When policies are written without the perspective of women, half the wisdom of the earth is silenced. When decisions are made without their presence, half the vision of the future is blinded. Thus, to place gender equality at the heart of policy is not to privilege one over another, but to restore the ancient balance that ensures the flourishing of all.

Look to the present age: nations that have woven gender equity into the threads of their governance often stand among the most peaceful, prosperous, and stable. In Rwanda, where women hold the majority of parliamentary seats, reconstruction after war did not rest solely upon the weapons of men but upon the resilience of mothers, teachers, and peacemakers. From ashes rose renewal, for the feminine principle — long dismissed — became a pillar of national rebirth. Democracy and sustainability grew not from dominion, but from shared stewardship.

And so the saying teaches not only leaders, but all souls who strive for harmony in their own spheres — families, workplaces, communities. To live with consciousness of equality is to listen before commanding, to respect before judging, to build before boasting. It is a discipline of the heart, a daily practice of justice. For democracy begins not in parliaments, but in the way one treats another; and sustainability begins not in policies, but in the way one honors the balance of life.

The lesson, then, is clear and eternal: where there is equality, there is peace; where there is awareness, there is endurance. Let each generation remember that progress without justice is but a fleeting storm. The wise heart must weave fairness into every law, every action, every dream. And so I say unto you — when you act, act with awareness; when you speak, speak with balance; and when you lead, lead with the spirit of both sun and moon within you. Then, and only then, will your works endure like the mountains, steadfast and just beneath the heavens.