Why Are Rasta Women treated like slaves and less than their counterparts?

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[PageantQueen]

Hello everyone.  I am a devout non-denominational christian but i am also a knowledge seeker! I have reading alot about the Rasatfarian movement.  It all began when i started listening to Ziggy Marley and then his brother Ky-Mani Marleys music and kept hearing the word Jah and love to rasata! I didnt understand what that meant, so i decided to reserach it, thus leading me to this website! The MAJOR thing taht bothered and puzzled me amongst many was the women of the Rastafarian society! If Rastafarians lives are supposed to be lived untamed and freely then why are their women subjected to being child-bearers, having no equal say so in businesse matters and so forth? In no way do i want to offend anyone but i am "new" to learning about the culture, people ect.  Can someone plaese that back up what i said with EXCELLENT evidence provide me with the answers to my questions.  I thank you very kindly!

[EmpressCarla]

Blessings

Greetings sistren. You state that you wish to have "evidence" provided to you in answers to your questions. Yet I would ask, where did you get your initial information that formed your question of "why are their women subjected to being child-bearers, having no equal say so in businesse matters and so forth?"

It is true that many in Rastafari see the wombman as relegated to being servant to the man. However, my observation is that this mindset is simply leftover Judeao/Christian thinking that is at the root of this moreso than anything else. You have to realize that probably most Rasta people were/are coming from the Christian church. And the ones who cite the wombman as inferior refer to the Bible as their "evidence". Yet at the core Rasta is Love that cannot be easily seen from the outside.

With that said, InI all have natural roles in this earthly plane. Men cannot bear children, seen.  And children are viewed as a blessing from the Most High, never a burden. So being a "child-bearer" isn't something subjective. It is a privilege to be the chosen vessel of Jah's light. I guess it's all in how one looks at things.

Bottom line, downpression in the form of misogyny is not specific to Rastafari, though it most certainly can be found within. But go look in the pulpits of most Christian churches and count how many wombmen you see. That is changing in recent years, as it will in Rastafari as well. But the roots of it can be found in Christianity, not in Afraka!

Be blessed

[joanna]

blessings,

Ok, i had to read this one and then sit back for a while, in an effort to calm down, cos to me, a  strong intelligent Rastawombman, that's quite insulting.the concept that i could be any man's slave is also hilarious to me and to any Rastaman who knows me, as i am probably the wildest wombman most of them have had the misfortune to book up on!
my blessed sistah carla has already given you "excellent" evidence from an intellectual point of view, as can many of the sistah's here, my lovely family all being so eloquent and educated, whereas i tend to step in like the bull in the china shop that i am!
however, i will give you the laymans view, as my niche is not really to put across a social studies point of view, but one in which every woman can grasp.

this concept of freedom and slavery  really does depend on how you look at it.  i can think of nothing worse than having to get up in the morning, faff about with my hair for 45 mins, worrying about whether it is all completely straight, plaster myself with make up and have to worry about whether my face is flawless,or if my mascara is running into the tiny weeny wrinkles in my eyes that i've paid £50 quid for some hocus pocus potion to get rid of, and to totter about in skintight or skimpy clothes,and shoes that mishape and punish my feet all day ,for the sake of fashion, or for fear that i will not be accepted by the "beautiful "people in my immediate surroundings.. to me, that is slavery.

i get up, wash my face with soap and water, and shove some cocoa butter on it.. i then look at my natty scruffy dread, laugh my tail off at how wild it looks, cos i love them..then if i feel like it, and only if, i might wrap my head up.. it really depends on how clean it looks and if i can be bothered to have it wet down my back all day by washing it, or it if it still ok from being washed earlier in the week. at no point do i waste more than 3 minutes of my time on worrying over it.
then i wash up, and get dressed in whatever is comfortable and sensible depending on the weather, and at no point do i worry about being the height of fashion, or whether man on the street finds me attractive.
 now that is freedom.

then i have my breakfast, and i don't have to worry about whats in my food or if i am in "the zone" or whatever the latest faddy eating thing is, cos i am eating only what God intended me to, good natural wholesome food that nourishes me and keeps my body how it should be... i listen to my body because i am in tune with it, then i give it what it needs.. freedom from dieting.

in my working life, i chose my job depending on how it makes my soul feel.. for me, its with children, in a non profit making organization. i don't have to worry about making money for a company that thinks i am as replaceable as a tatty desk chair. i studied hard for my job, i know the kids i work with, and i am valued for my skills and my rapport with them. freedom.

back at home, i am surrounded by my blessings, my treasures, who i chose to bear.. no man forced me. i look after my family because it gives me pleasure to do so, to love them, nurture them, teach them the importance of family and of love, and look after my partner in the same way as i would expect to be treated.. with understanding, patience, consideration and respect. if he is tired, i pander to him, if he is lonely, i comfort him, hungry or sad, i feed him.. and a good man regardless of faith will do the same for his woman.
 each of the parents has their own, separate, equal role in the house. there you have everyone knowing where they stand, no power struggle, no need for one to lord it over the other. in my household, the parent going out to work for more hours in the day does less chores, sometimes it has been me, sometimes my partner. we share the finances, and take equal responsibility for the decisions we make. rasta acknowledge each skill the parents have, such as bringing home the bread, or taking care of the home, is equally important, as one cannot function without the other. that's just common sense and nothing to do with subjection in my book. as a rule, the father is the last word of authority when disciplining the kids.. and that's not because he is the more important, it's because he has the greater physical presence, and is more likely to be taken notice of in my house.. you can say what you like, but i believe that to be true. also, sometimes, you just cant be bothered to tell them anymore, so you pass the buck.. it's as simple as that! once the kids know dad is dealing with it, it's time to let it go!!
for entertainment, we have simple things, love of music that doesn't teach our children to be whores or gangsters, love of family and close freinds, love of our creator, and the joy of passing on and sharing of that light inside us is incomparable. there is no drunkenness, no warring, no backbiting in my world.. no pressure to behave in a way that might compromise my self worth as a woman and as a human being. until you know ras , you really don't know Love.

 for me, that's what Rasta represents, and there is nothing more emancipating on this earth..  I LOVE my life!! can you say the same?

which begs the question.. looking at the "evidence", just who is free and who isn't?
be blessed (and free from mental slavery),

Queen Joanna

[EmpressCarla]

Blessings

Wow Queen, that was some fiyah! Well said. I Love it!!

Be blessed

[joanna]

  haha  sis  Carla,
as the King says.. (thats Elvis, the king of rock n roll, not the King of Kings)

thankyouverymuch!

Queen Joanna has left the building!!!

[sistahvee]

Bless Up Empress Carla..Queen Joanna

InI do NOT have anything to ADD to the Sistahs' words as anything of Iportance can be found between your two answers from different angles but the same lense.  Through OUR eyes and the eyes of those looking in through a window, a friend's heresay, or whereever they are getting their 'views', it is certainly Mis-Information.

Still, InI am reading and enjoying the I's Reasoning and clarity.

Nuff Love

Sistah Vee

[joanna]

Bless big sistah!

that could be miss- information, or if we are really politically correct, even ms- information
it does make one quite cross when women on the outside in particular see us as little mice who are bullied into what to wear, how to behave or what to think, though! ask any man who has to deal with the likes of us! i feel quite sorry for them really.. nothing more stubborn than a strong rastawombman..

 obviously not familiar with the concept of the Ras Queen as the Lioness... who wears the proverbial trousers  in the prides..? i think it's the female of the species!

 blessed!

[Molliebaz]

Greetings Pageant Queen.

I bow to the answers already given to you by my sistren, yet feel that as you so rightly implied, if you don't ask questions, then you don't find the answers.  It is possible that you have heard some bad reports about the subjection of Rasta wombmen, and of course none of us can deny that some of these are true.  Have you ever noticed though that it is only bad news that makes the headlines in newspapers?  There is nothing controversial in good news and it doesn't sell.  When we hear a bad thing about a person from one sect or another, it is the bad that we remember.   There are millions of devout and good muslims in this world, yet only the terrorists get spoken of . Millions of muslims do not drink alcohol, but there are some that do. There are sincere Catholics and Protestants, yet the mud sticks to those that claiming celibacy and fornicating or interefering with the young.  Likewise, there are Jews that adhere to the laws of Abraham and Moses, but many will also eat pork and shellfish.  We can all do wrong.

I hope you stay on the forum long enough to reason with my sistren, and you will then surely know that a stronger group of women is difficult to find.  Believe me, Sistah Vee is a strong campaigner for women and children and as for Sistah Joanna, she could smite the strongest person with her mere words and she is a woman of courage in the face of adversity.

As for myself, I believe that I am the "granny" of this forum, and if you knew of my life and experiences so far up to the age of 51 you would never think of me as meek and mild !  I have survived 2 divorces, been a career woman, working as a criminal lawyer, and I still work - the only woman in an office of men. I am the most educated of all my colleagues, and they value my day to day decisions.

As a devout Christian you will no doubt have read in the scriptures that women should be in subjection to their man, just as the man is in subjection to the Christ.  It is also said that men should be loving women just as they love their own bodies.

As for the child-bearing, what a wonderful gift from our Creator to be able to bring forth life, and raise and teach the children.   I have borne no children in my life, and I can speak from my heart and tell you that I would trade everything I have ever owned or experienced to have the priveleged title of "mother".

One thing I have learned in my life, is that as a woman I can stand up and shout, make demand for equal rights, complain, criticise and moan - YET the most effective way is to reason with a man in the gentlest of ways, and eventually the very thing that you wanted can turn out to be " his idea" - or as my mother used to say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.  So then, who has the power - the raging feminist or the one who gets the results she wants ?     I have said many times on this forum, men and women are so different, but, like salt and pepper, they stand side by side and compliment each other - one without the other is just not good enough.

From my own experiences, I agree it is liberating to know that your man loves you  for who you are, and not for how glamorous you look in make up.  I have known women who hours after giving birth want to be sitting up in bed, with make up on, looking beautiful for their man, and they miss the point that the most beautiful thing about them is their motherhood.   Or they look at their stretchmarks with disgust and spend fortunes trying to eradicate them.  To me, they should be looked on with pride for they symbolise the carrying of life. What an honour it is to cement the love between man and a women by bringing forth the next generation.

I hope you have gained some insight into us and hopefully you will see us for our strengths,  not weaknesses.


One Love.

[PageantQueen]

Thank you to everyone who replied, i new with the topic that i put up that it would get alot of replies!:) I am going to stay on this forum for awhile, so i can see the Rasrafarian views versus my Judeo Christian ones.  I am the type of women who likes to be knowledgable about everyones religion or daily livings.  I do not want to be the dumb or unifformed person.  So far, this forum has been helpful in answering my questions, but i did want to know do Rastafarians thikn that Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews is the real Jesus? God Bless everyone
Posted on: August 18, 2007, 01:15:48 amIn reply tro Joanna.  I feel that i am very free mentally and physically in everything that i do.  Although i am a pageant queen rarely do i wera make-up, due to god granting me with beautiful natural looks.  Not trying to sound conceited but its true.  Im also 22 so i do not have to worry about skin problems or going on diets due to me already being porportionally well fit.  Although, i do work out and try to keep myself healthy.  There should be no reason why you are mad at what i said, if naything, you should be happy to enlighten and inform a person who knows NOTHING about your culture and way of life.  I mean lets just say i "was" interested in being rastafarian, by reading the comment you put, i would be like oh hell no and go the other way, but because i know that you are only the few percent who would get irritated by a stranger asking you a question i will proceed on.  There are alot of questionable things that i could put onto this forum aboiut the rastafarians way of life and how i think some of it is crazy thinking or dumb, but im not going to do that, because im here just to educated and then later ill form my own opinion.  I have alot of friends, colleagues and asociates who are of all religions and cultures, but i would dare not tell them whta they think is wrong just like they wouldnt tell me what i think and beleive in is wrong.  And YES i am an educated women who already has a Bachelors in Journlaism and a Masters.  So being 22 i find that to be a very good feat for myself.  Not trying to be mean and in no disrespect, but next time someone come on in here and asks a question try to be more calmer and less aggitated for you never know who they are and their reasons for coming on here and i doubt you would want to turn someone off from your culture and way of life beacuse of your disposition.  And yes i love fashion, theres nothing wrong with that, if im correct the first Miss World was Jamaican Miss Cindy Breakspear (Bob Marleys girlfriend and mother to Damien Marley) who i was honored to meet a few months ago and who loves fashion is a rastafarian and who used beauty pageants just to promote her platform and for business reasons like myself.  Oh yeah the Miss Jamaica pageant is today, i can't wait to watch it! So, let me reiterate, please speak respectfully and watch what you say because you never know who your writing to! Thank You.  Jah(Jehovah) Bless :)

[sistahvee]

Bless Up PageantQueen

Yes Sistah.. At 22 to have already accomplished the goal of Bachelors as well as Masters is near I-possible.  Still, being an educated 'young wombman', and in journalism no less, InI a Raspectable Writer of Books, Women and Children's Rights Activist, Abuse Counsellor, Lecturer and Workshop Facillator, to list a few of InI's own Qualification will attempt to 'clarify' some of the things Sistah Joanna attempted to share with the I on an Intellectual Level if not a I-ritual Level.

For all intents and purposes, on this forum Wombmen, Rastafarian Wombmen, are forced to sit back and listen to the on-going dialogue of Women of different Cultures, Iliefs and Mentality bringing forth their judgement of Rastafarian Wombmen based on what is portrayed in the media, hollywood and Mis-Education. Christians are most at fault for this assault on RastaWombmen. As a result, at times it gets tiring for some having to defend the same ole same ole, over and again. 

What Sistah Joanna was attempting to clarify is that within Rastafari Culture are some of the MOST AMAZING, LOVING, STRONG, ASSERTIVE, WELL READ, NUTURING, IRITUAL, and DEVOTED WOMBMEN on the planet.  As there are Many variety of fruits there are Many variation of Character of RasTafari Wombmen.  There are those that WORK at home Guiding the Children, Providing Nutrition and Medical Care as well as other duties on top of their Iritual Life and Livity.  Then there are some like InI who also tend two homes in two countries, children in college, a Child Abuse Headquarters, A non-Profit Organization, Lead Rallies and Marches against the Government, Campaigns I-stantly for Abused Children, Administer a forum devoted to Wombmen and Children AND WRITE BOOKS.

None of us Isiders ourselves better than each other or Wombmen of ANY Culture.  We are about LOVE.  Jah's Iniversal Love.  A Love that reaches beyond Iverstanding.  We use our strengths to uplift the WHOLE.  We feed the hungry..We clothe the naked..We nurse the sick..We care for the children and the elders...WE ARE LOVE.  JahJah's LOVE.

Certainly their are specifics that we can get into, but the I Sistah appears to be able to comprehend as your educational accomplishments states.  There is much that Christianity and Rastafari agree on.  Our manner of I-terpretation of the Ible may vary from Tribe to Tribe, however we as Rastafari hold some fundamental Truths acknowledged by all. 

With that said, InI do not Ilieve Sistah Joanna meant to sound the way the I Sistah perceives it.  In the I-rit of Overstanding, which we Wombmen are certainly known for regardless of Religious Icepts, may we start over again for the sake of Wombmanhood Worldwide?

Welcome to the forum and please attempt to Iverstand how mis-understandings are possible when one is communicating through computer keyboards. 

Nuff Love

Sistah Vee
Posted on: August 18, 2007, 03:09:03 amHere is a clip of a Wise Woman's explanation of the roles of Rastafarian Wombmen within Rasta Culture.  And still this is NOT complete.  It's from a link left for us by Sistah Nya.

Women

"The role of women in Rastafari has been a complex, yet orderly system of knowing one’s place. Though man is seen as the head of the home, and of his community, women in Rastafari are greatly respected as queens, and their duty is to raise their children and provide a stable community for the men. By teaching health, nutrition, and various elements of life, women contribute greatly to Rasta culture. Though the rules for women seem strict, a Rasta woman has to be able to tell herself apart from the larger society of women in Babylon whose ways, style of dress, and approach to life is all together different. Rasta women realize their potential as queens and honor that title with respect: no short dresses, no pants, no adding chemicals to the hair, and definitely no make up or artificial cosmetic use. Rasta women maintain a sense of identity with nature, their community and their children. The faith requires women to know their place when they are amongst men, while being as wise as any man. In Rasta culture women are not geared into vanity, and are frowned upon when it comes to exploiting their bodies. This exploitation destroys the great potential that women have to become leaders, and becoming closer to God. You can’t travel two roads and expect to get to Jah. You have to travel the narrow road, and for women in Rastafari, this is often not easy. For the temptations of western society that says a woman can dress any way, show her flesh, she can talk any kind of way, and use obscene words to express herself, or she can denounce her community and her children for vanity are misleading concepts that tear the nation apart. The Rasta woman is the holder of the nation, and her awareness of this allows her to live a simple lifestyle while upholding her duties as a woman; she is always revered for that.

It is safe to say that women who recognize Rastafari as their faith do not have to be told what to do, but have learned what works for them. It’s unimaginable that every woman will adhere to every single law of the culture but it is imaginable that Rastafarian women have found a faith that brings them closer to Jah, and binds them to uplifting themselves toward positive I-spirations."

[PageantQueen]

Thank you sistahvee for explaining the womens role to me.  Although i know it seems impossible to obtain a bachelors and masters by the age of 22 i have.  I graduated in 2006 and it only takes 1 full year even through the summer to obatain my Broadcast Televisoin degree from the University of Miami school of communications.  it is actually very common.  I do know too that women of all culture  have alot in common and that there are many similarities of the two denominations.  I have begun to do thourough reserach not only on this matter but in all aspects of the Rastafarian life.  Maybe  came off a little too strong when i first got nto this forum, but i do not want to make any mad or make them feel disrespected or belittled in any way.  As with all cultures i know that your going to have men who arent any good or treat women bad.  Thank you for taking the time out to respond!

[sistahvee]

Bless Up PageantQueen

No need for thank you here Little Sistah.  InI am truly I-mpressed AND EXCITED to hear of one so young being Driven with one's schooling.  A people without a vision Do perish.  It is not hard for InI to Ilieve that the I has accomplished as stated. InI have accomplished much very young and is Retiring this year, not yet forty.  So InI Know the Possibilities well as  InI also have two young men, InI's children, in college as well. InI love the Freedom InI feel when Wombmen take Itrol of their lives and is the Driver of their own car so to speak. 

InI have a bit of a Training school where InI use the opportunity to Inspire young Princesses' to DO THEIR BEST and REACH for the STARS.  The I Sistah would have been one of InI's EXAMPLES to these young ones with no dreams and hope of ever being anything more. Be Proud and Itinue in that Direction as the I Sistah's Dawtahs will one day be even Stronger for it.  Again, welcome to the forum.

Nuff Love

Sistah Vee

[joanna]

 Bless up Sistah's,

firstly, thankyou to my beloved sistah Vee, for attempting to clarify my perspective with such calm and dignity,as is ever the case... Jah knows i am certainly a hot head at times, but as Lioness and defender of my faith , i feel that sometimes it IS called for, and it is also the case that yes, as a Rastawombman, and as a woman of intelligence and substance, i do get irritated at the tirade of judgment and the supposition that we as a group are spineless and subservient that we are constantly subjected to, as does every other person on this planet who constantly has to go over the same, time and time again. it is what is known as humanity, and  is a natural reaction.. i very much doubt that if it were  anyone else at all ,they would be able to hold their  peace after 24 years of being faced with the same, day in day out. it gets tedious.

sistah pageantqueen,
nothing i said was disrespectful, it is impossible to hear someone's tone of voice when reading type on a screen, so it is very easy to misinterpret the nature or the intention of what is written. there is no need to be defensive, as nothing i said was personally aimed at you, but at western society and the beauty, media and fashion industries as a whole, which i believe are corrupt and do more damage to the self esteem of woman than they do good, in order to make a buck. the general consensus of society is that women need to cheapen themselves and become sexual objects in order to prosper or be socially acceptable. in this day it is not what you accomplish that earns you respect, but what you look like in a tiny amount of cloth, or how often you expose yourself or sleep with A list celebrities that gets a woman fame, money and  material possessions. if you look at the newspapers every day you see woman starving themselves, taking drugs and alcohol and living miserable dysfunctional lives for the sake of being at the top of the social pile.. that is why i compared said lifestyle to slavery, because i cannot imagine why an intelligent woman would want to subject herself to that kind of torture.. no wonder so many young girls end up being completely messed up... they are told that to be acceptable they must look like prepubescent boys and behave in a soul destroying manner. i was not suggesting that you personally subscribed to this ideal. your achievements are most admirable, and if Jah has blessed you with good skin a beautiful face and a strong healthy body ,then that is certainly something to be proud of, and there is no reason why you should not hold your head up and stand tall.

what i was attempting to do was put across the difference in my lifestyle and the lives of almost every Rastawoman i know and love dearly, so that you could compare them and see for yourself the freedom that a simple, dignified life has to offer, when held next to the self destructive lives most women lead, whether they are aware of it or not. it is true that women as a whole cannot "have it all", we are still second to men, as they do not have the constraints that women have put upon them. it is indeed a mans world, whichever religion you practice, or even if you practice none at all. men decide how we raise our children, what jobs we do, how much free time we have, what interest's we have to an extent, as the government is ran by men ,the media  and all industry is ran by men, and the freedoms they enjoy are much more than ours, as we have the responsibilities of running homes, caring for children and juggling jobs, so that one thing suffers, (usually the relationships we have, because we do not have the time to give our families anymore). on top of that, we are then pressured into believing our lives should be as perfect as the media portrays it to be and that we should also be up for sex constantly, rich, and physically flawless depending on the fashionable body type that is promoted, as well as a perfect mother, wife, and career woman.
 
Rastafari holds those concepts as ridiculous, we are revered as care givers,  our      objective is to give love first and foremost, to protect that which we hold to be right and true, and that the real beauty of a woman is in the soul, the way that she carries herself with pride and dignity and the love that she offers unconditionally to those around her. we understand that everyone has a limit to what they can physically achieve, so our society makes it simpler by removing the pressure's that western society places upon its women. so you see, we are actually less put upon than is the average woman on the street. it just does not appear to be so because most women have been given the impression that what they are forcefed is the natural right of every woman, when the reality is, it is a position that is impossible to aspire to. there is a price to be paid for everything we want or need.. i just choose to want and need only what i know is actually possible. that is the thing that to my mind, sets me free.

what annoyed me really was the title of your post, and the little "smiley" at the side. in order to appear  objective, perhaps you should have left the WHY and the grumpy face out.. that immediately told me you have made your supposition already, even if the truth was actually that you hadn't. a more appropriate question would have been "are Rasta women treated as slaves and less than their counterparts?" that gives the impression of non judgment and an eagerness to be enlightened..it leaves room for the suggestion that you have not made your mind up one way or the other. what i perceived was yet another attack on my sistahs and myself that i had to defend, and even (dare i say it)! on our Kings, even though verbal man bashing is a personal favourite hobby of mine..next to quantum physics and rudimentary rocket science.. oh and lets not forget, crochet .. i'm just joshing with you, i hate crochet!...but what's the point of having a man if you cant moan about them?
that said, the supposition that Rastamen are evil and live to subject, bully and enslave their women is incorrect and unfair. As Sistah Vee has said, Rasta is LOVE.. any man who beats his Queen, cheats on her or forces her to do things that hurt her body or her heart is NOT a Rastaman.. calling Jah name in front of his peers, wearing colours or dreads ,or quoting scriptures does not a Rastaman make.. it is in the thoughts and deeds that the soul lies... just the same as a Christian who harbours hate for another is not a Christian, because that is against Christ teachings, or a muslim to kills his wife in an honour killing, or stones a woman to death for the "crime" of being raped is not a muslim, because that goes against Allah.

oh, one more thing i would just like to say before i go.

 i tend to believe respect is something that is earned, not handed to you on a plate. when somebody shows me they are deserving of such respect, it is freely given, but is not something one can demand, especially when attacking my life choice while knowing Jack about it..which was how i perceived the situation, rightly or wrongly.

however, as you have stated that no offense was intended, and that you may have been a little over-exuberant in your questioning.. which is understandable when you feel a people is being unfairly treated, and is a natural reaction.. similar to the reaction i had when i read it, in fact, i think we can safely say that we were both a little heated... as i previously stated, i AM a hot head.. great if you are on my team, but not so good when i am crossed, as i tend to steam in and flatten the opposition and not think at all till i witness the carnage i have left in my wake. what a pity i wasn't born a man and a football player.. i'd be coining it! then i'm like.. oops perhaps i should have  been a little more gentle, while people are lying down all damaged on the ground and bleeding, proverbially speaking of course.. i would never condone actual violence!

i hope we can put this misunderstanding behind us and reason in a freindly manner, as i am sure we can learn much from each other. i have the benefits of experience, stubbornness and a complete refusal to do as i am told, besides being a beauty still at the tender age of 39.. ho hum!.. which has helped me survive many trials and hardships that have been thrown at me over the years, including heartbreak and long term chronic illness ( which does tend to make me crabby as a general rule so my mother tells me..) to mention just a little, but i know that i am essentially a kind and fair person once you manage to get over the shock of me! and in my defense i am also a Northerner, not a good thing in England as we are raised  to be tough and  can be rather scary at first!
whereas you have the benefit of the enthusiasm of youth, and the energy to go with it, that i can bounce off of and truly appreciate , seeing as my poor tired broken body doesn't have much going for it now, and only my mind is as fast and as strong as i would like the rest of me to be! when i was 22 i think i was very much as you seem to be now.. oh, watch out World, when you are ready for it! that will indeed be something to witness. i  really do wish you all the best that life has to offer.

be blessed.

Queen Joanna

[PageantQueen]

I don't want to fight and i should have put more thought into my first message. And i have not experienced alot of the world, so i know i have ALOT of learning to do! And ill be glad if you and the other people on the forum guide me!

[joanna]

 no worries sistah..
life is about learning  from our mistakes so that we can be better  prepared for the next step on our journey! that holds true whatever age we are.

be blessed,

 Queen Joanna