Opinion: ‘Think Pink’ during month of October

October is “National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” According to its web site, “It is a collaboration of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to services.”

According to NBCAM, since its creation more than 25 years ago, “it has been at the forefront of promoting awareness of breast cancer issues and has evolved along with the national dialogue on breast cancer. NBCAM is dedicated to educating and empowering women to take charge of their own breast health.”

We need to do all we can to help support this crucial national campaign. Many years ago, breast cancer took my former sister-in-law at a very young age. Cindy was in her early twenties when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her cancer was very aggressive, ravaged her mind and body, and caused her to endure a very painful death.

Cindy left two small children and a devastated husband. Her mother was also a victim of breast cancer. Cindy’s mother, Jeannine, underwent a successful radical mastectomy, along with aggressive treatment, and was able to survive well into her eighties. I don’t know why Cindy’s treatments didn’t work, and it breaks my heart because she was one of the sweetest and most loving persons I’ve ever known.

Breast cancer takes far too many of our mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters. The women of our lives are the driving force behind the progress that civilization has made throughout the ages. We ought to do all we can to help them fight this terrible scourge. In spite of all they’ve done to advance and improve civilization over the millennia, we’ve not treated them very well.

I find it absurd that women, who are easily the most important factor in the successful propagation of the human species, are the ones who have suffered the most, based solely upon their gender. For the most part, all societies, religions, and ethnic groups have tried mightily to keep women down, and have only reluctantly given them voice.

Yet, when women have had the opportunity to lead, they have done remarkably well. Indira Gandhi of India, Golda Meir of Israel, and “Iron Margaret” Thatcher of Great Britain, have all been excellent leaders.

Even so, the Catholic Church continues to prevent women from serving in the priesthood. To me, this is more a cultural bias than a biblical bias. Ditto with some protestant churches, who continue to prevent women from holding high office. Islam continues to mistreat women. The Mormon Church still does not allow women to hold the priesthood, or other high offices in the church.

In America, it took women 144 years of continuous effort to win the right to vote. This is outrageous because I think women are as smart as or smarter than men. Today, more than 65% of college students are women, and over 70% of high school students who make the honor role are female.

The point I’m trying to make is that we need to do all we can to encourage our mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives to get the proper medical tests done early in order live long and healthy lives. Early detection and treatment may have saved Cindy’s life.

We, as a society, and as men, have not always treated the women in our lives fairly and respectfully. We can make up for some of that past disregard by encouraging them to do all they can to enhance their health and welfare. Our women are much too precious to needlessly lose to ill health and early death from breast cancer – from all cancer.

It is primarily women who make this world a much nicer place to live. Even so, throughout history, women’s thoughts and opinions have been mostly ignored, disregarded, and ridiculed.

Over the centuries they have been war booty, pawns, abused, and trafficked in for illicit and horrific purposes. Yet, through personal persuasion – mostly through their spouses or significant others – they have managed to keep civilization moving forward, sometimes making slow progress, but progress just the same.

They are resilient, persistent, and have served as beacons of wisdom and stability in tumultuous, insane times – most of the tumult and insanity being caused by men, of course.

Women give life, nurture life, and comfort the grieving when life ends. They add love to a hateful world.

I love women, and shudder to think where we would be without their steadying influence on society and civilization. They are sources of wonder, gentleness, and goodness to life, and are a shining example of a magnificent love. They are precious and priceless.

I just wish I could stay married to ‘em.

So, let’s think pink this month. Actually, let’s all think pink all year long, and pledge to take better care of our women now and forevermore.