In the face of patriarchy, it is a brave act indeed for both men

Alanis Morissette, singer of spirit and poet of the soul, once proclaimed: “In the face of patriarchy, it is a brave act indeed for both men and women to embrace, rather than shame or attempt to eradicate, the feminine.” These words are not merely a defense of women, but a hymn to the power of the feminine itself—intuition, compassion, creativity, and tenderness—that has long been suppressed under the weight of systems that exalt dominance, conquest, and hardness as the only virtues. To embrace the feminine in such a world is not weakness, but rebellion; not surrender, but courage.

The origin of her words lies in the struggle against patriarchy, that ancient structure which taught men to scorn softness and women to distrust their own strength unless clothed in masculine guise. Morissette reminds us that the true act of healing is not to imitate patriarchy, but to reclaim what it denied. The feminine, far from being an enemy to progress, is its salvation, for it tempers cruelty with empathy, ambition with wisdom, and power with care.

History bears witness in the tale of Mahatma Gandhi, who, though a man, embodied the feminine virtues of patience, nonviolence, and humility. In the face of empire, he chose not the sword but the strength of compassion, and with it, he moved a nation toward freedom. His life stands as proof that to embrace the feminine is not to diminish one’s power, but to magnify it in a higher form. Here, Morissette’s words find flesh: courage is not only in the fist, but also in the open hand.

So too in the story of Eleanor Roosevelt, who transformed the role of First Lady from silent ornament to global advocate. She did not abandon her feminine qualities but wielded them—empathy, persistence, and vision—as tools to forge the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a world dominated by statesmen, she showed that the feminine voice could echo louder than cannons, shaping the destiny of nations.

Therefore, O children of the future, hear this wisdom: do not despise the feminine, nor seek to bury it beneath masks of hardness. In both men and women it dwells, waiting to be honored. To embrace it is to challenge the cold order of patriarchy, and to restore balance to the world. For only when the masculine and the feminine walk together, unashamed, can humanity rise whole into its destiny.