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Do theoreticians have lives? | 7 comments

[new] What is "a life"? (Avg. Score: none / Raters: 0) (#7)
by Aileen on Sat Nov 15th, 2003 at 08:17:16 PM EURODISCORDIA TIME
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The dichotomy you describe, Amy, is exactly the point - how can we escape from that? Much as I love my three men, the implication that they are "my life" as opposed to "work" sounds dreadful to me. There is no room for "me" (whatever "me" might be) in this opposition.
I felt reluctant to bring this up before, but maybe it might help clarify what I am looking for: despite my disillusionment and disappointment in "feminist spirituality", one of the things that initially appealed to me most about goddess imagery was a different model for interpreting "a life". According to this model, at different times, in different phases my life is marked by the color white, meaning I have a task, something important to do, so I can't be tied down by other responsibilities, relationships and obligations. Other phases are red, when it is more important to assume a nurturing role, others are black, when it is time to let go, burn bridges, put an end to something ... These phases are not chronological, not occurring once in a lifetime, but over and over again, always alternating along with changing circumstances, new insights, different relationships.
Although I was repeatedly amazed by the way people responded to this imagery whenever I used it in more or less public celebrations, I don't think this model works, certainly not when any discussion of it gets sidetracked by discussions about religion (which I don't want to discuss now). I think, though, that there needs to be a way of naming whose turn it is to take on tasks that need to be done - whether in collaborative projects, conventional work schedules, caring for those beings in need of care, or other situations.
Is there another way of defining "work" that might be more useful, or is that overburdened with too many meanings as well?

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Do theoreticians have lives? | 7 comments

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