Woman & the Transformation of Humanity

Women and the Continuing Transformation of Humanity

We live in an environment

which continually informs us

that there is something

wrong with humanity.

They tell us that there are genuinely

evil people out there

who commit

horrendous crimes.

We see the lists

of these crimes

every day

in the newspapers.

Capitalist governments

argue that we need armies

and police forces

to protect us against these evil people.

They tell us that this is just

“human nature”

and that things

have always been this way.

They tell us that the one

progressive force in society is the family.

If all else fails, we can rely

on the family for support and this is the way it has always been.

What those who have power never tell us is,

What is the real

story of human history?

This poem will attempt to begin to answer that question.

We are the descendants of animals.

Animals who cared for their young,

but, at times,

killed and ate their young.

We are the descendants

of male animals who fought,

and, at times killed one another

in order to have access to females.

This is because males are, at times,

a small minority where groups of animals live.

However, rape never happens

in the animal world.

Humanity changed these relationships.

First there were hoards or clans

where all members of the clan

protected one another.

Sex was not allowed within the clan

and all relations came through the mother.

Uncles were the men

who helped to raise the children of the mother.

Although women were always the physically weaker sex,

collectively women were the ones who pioneered the changes

that allowed humanity to do skilled work in a social environment

and advance from the animal world.

The concept of natural death was unknown.

All deaths were attributed to humans or animals from the outside.

Therefore everyone from other clans

were seen as enemies.

This included the fathers of all children.

Eventually fathers would have to

prove themselves to the mother-in-law

in order to marry the daughter.

As time went by this state of affairs became impractical.

People gave worthless gifts

to those from the other clans who accepted those gifts.

Fathers now became outsiders.

During these years men were the hunters

and women did most of the rest of the work.

Women were the first doctors, construction workers,

farmers, ship builders, and scientists.

During these years, women needed to carry heavy loads

of water, construction materials, food, as well as an infant.

This was not seen as drudgery,

but as a deeply appreciated contribution to society.

During these years biological fatherhood was unknown.

People were not interested in who biological fathers were.

Children played sexual games

and adults thought this was natural.

Men lived in the home of the mother’s clan

and if the wife or mother wanted a divorce,

she simply placed the fathers things

outside of her home.

The words mine and yours were not known.

All things were shared by all.

When someone received a gift,

everyone expected to share in the use of that gift.

Food was divided equally amongst all.

The idea of fighting each other

for morsels of food

was seen as something only animals did.

During these years, in many areas of the world,

humanity experienced a relatively care-free existence.

Everyone contributed to the welfare of all,

and individuals didn’t worry about paying bills.

This wasn’t always an easy process.

At times men murdered their children

to avoid conflicts with other clans.

This was better than war.

Then the world changed.

Men began to trade cattle for wives.

The wife and child now belonged to the father.

There was no more reason to murder children.

Uncles lost their right to raise their sister’s children.

Fathers, for the first time in human history,

became the ones who were responsible

for their children.

However, women lost their independence

and became tied to their husbands.

The ancient Greeks had the myth of Orestes where Orestes

murdered his mother and the social relations of the world were transformed.

However, humanity, at this time,

still did not know

that there was such

a thing as biological fatherhood.

Even as late as the Egyptian Empire,

heredity came through the mother.

The queen ruled with her brother,

but had children with her husband, not her brother.

In other words, fatherhood, the family

and even private property are relatively

new inventions in the 150,000 years

of human history.

When Europeans came to the Western Hemisphere,

they came with the ideas of private property and the family.

The Native American could not understand why

European men abused women.

They could not understand what private property was,

or why the European was

so adamant about taking

the land they had lived on for centuries.

Today people who have power continue to

insist that we need to defend the idea of

private property, the family, and the state.

They refuse to even consider the reality of our history.

As the crisis in the world becomes more and more deplorable,

humanity will discover that during most of our history

women were treated with the utmost respect

and private property wasn’t even known to exist.

When humanity makes this discovery,

We will transform the world into a place

Where there is liberty. justice,

and human dignity for all.

Most of the ideas in this poem come from Evelyn Reed’s book: “Woman’s Evolution – from matriarchal clan to patriarchal family.” Published by Pathfinder press