In 2 Nephi 2: 11 it says: "For it must needs be opposition in all things. If not, my wilderness first-born, no one would be able to righteousness, nor any wickedness, nor any holiness nor misery, nor anything good or evil. Therefore, all things must necessarily be a composite whole, because if there was only a single drive, it must remain as lifeless without either life or death, impermanence or incorruption, happiness nor misery, awareness or unawareness. "
This principle is found in many cultures and philosophies. Yin and yang, for example. Day and night, light and darkness, good and evil, wet and dry, hot and cold, sun and rain - we think in opposites, and nature is created with opposites.
Do you remember that a few years ago was a symbol that read "we like different"? This symbol came to protest against racism, and we talked about how society is enriched by all different people. In a sense, one can say that it applies the same principle that Paul speaks of in First Corinthians 12, where he resembles the Church members and their various talents at various body limbs. We are all different and have different talents, and therefore can fulfill different functions in cooperation. How would society be like if everyone was good at singing, but no one could cultivate? Or if all were talented economists, but no one was able to perform surgery?
Strangely enough, there is one area in our Swedish culture where diversity suddenly not at all acceptable, and where everyone should be exactly equal. This single difference that does not proceed, and that must not occur, is the inequality between the sexes. Men and women should be exactly the same, and do exactly the same amount of the exact same things.
I find it strange that this is called "equality", because when things are equal, they are of equal worth, not alike. And how can men and women be worth as much as that of women in all the millennia have done valued lower than that men have done? If you really want real equality ought to be, instead of trying to get everyone to do as much of the same things, valuing the care of children (including one's own!) As much as engineering. Let people be free to choose who should take care of the kids and for how long, if children go to kindergarten or be at home, and let child care giving as much of retirement employment.
Now say well no "but then people stay home with the kids and take a vacation from work and get retirement!" If you think it's vacation to be at home with the kids, you have not done it for years. When you are at home parent staying on the job 24 hours a day, while the rest of the family, a vacation from school and jobs has been more work than usual. It has been continuously operating, no salary, and usually you also do all the housework while since you "yet only'm home." But if you choose to stay at home parent, you do it because you think that the most important thing you can do is take care of their children, not because it is restful, or because you can not handle a "real" job.
Obviously there are many who can not afford one parent stays at home (our society's built for it to be so), and it does not fit either all be at home parent full time. But my point is that we humans are different, not only in terms of ethnic origin or ideology; we are also different as men and women, and as individuals. Can not the society stop trying to force us to be like?
Guest Columnist: Miriam