You’ll only regret what you didn’t do.
I remember checking the post one day, and I couldn’t help but notice that yet again, one of the envelopes was addressed to Mr and Mrs John O’Flynn. Why is it not “Mr and Mrs Marie O’Flynn”, or why isn’t it just “The O’Flynns”? This never quite sat right with me, but over the last few months, I’ve noticed more and more inequalities for women in everyday life. Things that may have gone unnoticed for longer if it wasn’t for the impact Equitas is already having on me. Now, before I go any further, we have all been in agreement since the start that this is not man-bashing, and I know for a fact that some people would still use Mr and Mrs (insert man's full name) with no intention of being disrespectful, some people genuinely wouldn’t think twice about this. But is there a reason that people shouldn’t be shown a better way? This is not a blame game, not in the slightest. What I’d love to see is people being made aware of what their actions can do, little and large, and how they can make others feel, both positively and negatively! Then when people are made aware of this, let us see what happens and re-evaluate our plans.
Do we ever ask the question, “Was it always like this?” Was there ever a time when women and men were seen as equal in all ways and both were given equal opportunities no matter what they were trying to accomplish? Or was there ever a time when women ruled completely? Before you answer, we all need to be very careful when we think about what information we’ve soaked up over the years because I don’t ever remember learning of anything like this when I was in school, yet the “ancient Celts worshipped both male and female Gods and they regarded the essence of all life as female!
The portrayal of Celtic female Gods in Irish myth and legends shows a culture where women were central to society and had positions of power, and “Celtic goddesses occupied strong positions often reflecting the lived reality of women in Celtic society. Celtic women were free to bear arms (this was true in Ireland until at least the 7th century), engage in politics, and become Druids. (Moyra Caldicottaptly. Stories of warrior women) Women were honoured as much for their minds as for their bodies, so why did society change its tune? I definitely don’t have the answer to that problem, but we might be able to find the solution together!
What will we look back on and think “wow, did people really act like that?” It happens all of the time. Just look at how people treated others because they were of a different race, or how people treated animals in the past, not just in the past, to this day! I’ve heard it time out of number, you regret the things you didn’t do, not the things you did! Growing up with two older sisters, no brothers and an ambitious, powerful mother, I don’t need any convincing as to what women are capable of. So are we going to continue to do nothing about how women are represented, or misrepresented?
I don’t know what kind of beliefs all of you have, but I know that there are multiple religions that believe how we act in this life will shape our next one. Leaving religious beliefs out of it, and just thinking about the fundamentals of this way of life, it’s hard to argue that it’s not an incredible way to live your life. Think of the spin-off effects when you live your life with that kind of integrity - all of the time! How could you argue against that?
The amount of planning, organising and hard work that has gone into getting Equitas to this stage has been incredible. To see how people from all over the world are coming together for Equitas, for a common goal and to make a real change has been heartwarming and incredibly motivating. Now I just want to paint a quick picture to give you one small example…
I was on a Zoom call with the other co-founders of Equitas, Sarah Campbell, Sarah Elebert, and Shane McCarthy, and both Sarahs were rocking their babies, Sam and Paige, on their laps as we chatted at length, debated and made global plans for the future of our equine community!
Most people would never even think about doing this in their usual place of work, but then again, is this really work? Is “work” the right word for what we are creating here? This is just one example of the relentless commitment and dedication that is being given to Equitas, one among many, and this is only the beginning!
“In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.” Sheryl Sandberg
By one of our original co-founders, Mike O'Flynn in Edition 1 of Equitas - Launched July 1st 2022.
