Gloria Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was the co-founder of Ms. Magazine. She had lived in India for a couple of years after college. In 2013, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The above mentioned book was just published in 2019. I liked the book very much.

In this article I have selected some of the quotes from her book. I am hoping it will inspire all us, especially women.

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off!

Revolutions, like tress grow from bottom up.

Voting is not the most we can do, but it’s the least.

Democracy begins in the family.

If you don’t vote, you don’t count.

If you have more power than others, remember to listen as much as you talk. If you have less power than others, remember to talk as much as you listen. This is instant democracy.

Be sure you like whom you love.

Whether by dowry murder in India, honor killing in Egypt, or domestic violence in the United States, statistics show that women are most likely to be beaten or killed at home by men they know.

Don’t listen to any advice. Listen to the voice inside.

You are going to make mistakes, and you will learn from them. Say you are sorry, ask what you could have done better, learn –and move on.

Growth comes from saying yes to the unknown.

Don’t worry about what you can do, just do whatever you can.

There are not many jobs that require a penis or a vagina and all other occupations should be open to everyone.

People who are experiencing the problem are the most likely to know the solution.

All movements need few people who cannot be fired. If you’re dependent, it’s very hard not to be concerned about the approval of whomever and whatever you are dependent on.

Fear is asign of growth.

We learn from difference, not from sameness.

And remember that having some adversaries is a good thing.

The world is divided into two kinds of people. Those who divide everything into two, and those who don’t.

In many ways, “race” is an invention of colonialism.

We don’t learn while we are talking, we learn while we are listening.

If you want people to listen to you, you have to listen to them.

Elephants are nonviolent, they are matrilineal, vegetarian, and they have a sense of humor, long memories- If only we all be a little more like elephants.

Forget about approval. Go for respect.

The first resistance to social change is to say: It is necessary.

Beware of any motto that glorifies the past. It is code for restoring hierarchy. For example: ‘Make America great again’

Gender and race are fictions. Unique individuals are truth.

People invented race and gender. People can uninvent them.

A woman who aspires to be something will be called a bitch.

If they call you a bitch, say: Thank you!

Power can be taken, not given.

Only by taking power gives you the strength to use it.

Power does not have to be power over; it can be power to do.

It is easier to blame the person with less power.

Evil is obvious only in retrospect.

Trust your intuition.

It is an incredible con job when you think about it: Patriarchal religions get us to believe and behave now for a reward after death. Even corporations only promise to reward you after your retirement.

Never ever give up. And dance a little.

Hope is a form of planning.

When anybody asks me, ‘What should I do?’ I say, ‘Just do whatever you can’.

The clearest view is always from the bottom.

Sometimes we must put our bodies where our beliefs are.

A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and humanity of all people.

Law and justice are not always the same. When they aren’t, disobeying the law may be the first step toward justice.

The idea of freedom is contagious.

There is always one true inner voice: Trust it.”

Conclusion

Gloria Steinem has been a feminist, political organizer, writer and a change maker for more than fifty years. She has written this book based on her life experiences. This book has lot to teach those of us, who want to make a change in our lives and in our society.

Dr Saheb Sahu

What is Hypertension?

With each heartbeat, blood is pumped through the body, creating pressure against the inside walls of arteries. When blood pressure is high, the pressure inside the arteries is too strong and causes damage to arteries throughout the body. This can significantly increase your risk for:

. heart attack

.stroke

.dementia (memory failure)

.chronic kidney disease

. blindness

The normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg, the first number stands for systolic and the second number for diastolic. A systolic blood pressure of above 140 and a diastolic blood pressure of 90 are considered to be hypertensive (140/90).

What is Pre-hypertension?

A systolic blood pressure between 121-139 and diastolic blood pressure of 80-89(121-139/81-89) is considered to be pre-hypertensive. If your blood pressure is in the pre-hypertensive range, your chance developing hypertension is quite high and you should take steps to control it.

Risk Factors for Developing Pre-hypertension and Hypertension:

.age-your blood pressure rises as you get older

.diabetes –about 60% of people who have diabetes have also hypertension

.family history

.smoking

.obesity

.physical inactivity

.too much alcohol use

. stress

Top Five Ways to Lower Blood Pressure:

1-.Lose weight

If you are overweight, losing weight is the most effective way to help lower your blood pressure. You can lose weight by eating less and moving more.

2- DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan.

DASH eating plan include whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables, sea food, poultry, lean meat, low fat milk products, less sugar and less salt.

3-Increase your physical activity

When you get 30 minutes of physical activity, at least five days a week, you can significantly decrease your blood pressure.

4-Reduce sodium and increase potassium

You should aim for 1,500 mg or less per day of sodium (salt), which is less than a teaspoon of salt per day. Fruits and vegetables rich in potassium, such as banana, almond, sweet potatoes, oranges and certain vegetables may help to lower your blood pressure.

5- Do not drink or smoke.

 Conclusion

High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” because it often has no warning signs or symptoms and most people do not know that they have it. There is only one way to know whether you have high blood pressure, have your doctor or nurse measure it. Measuring is quick and painless. You can learn how to do it yourself. If you fit the risk profile, get your blood pressure check and take appropriate steps to control it. Do not procrastinate.

“Indeed, there is no such thing as freedom for a man who is starving or for a country who is poor”. Jawaharlal Nehru, 1950

Poverty is not having enough material possessions or income for a person’s needs. Poverty may include social, economic and political elements.

Absolute poverty is the complete lack of the means to meet basic personal needs, such as food, clothing and shelter.
What is the cycle of poverty?

The cycle of poverty begins when a child is born into a poor family. These families have limited or no resources to create opportunities to advance themselves, which leaves them stuck in poverty. The cycle of poverty has been defined as a phenomenon where poor families become impoverished for at least three generations.
How does the poverty cycle affect children?

Children are most affected by the cycle of poverty. Children are dependent on their parents and guardians and can’t pull themselves out of poverty because of their young age.

Children living in poverty are more likely to experience:
1- Illness due to unsafe water and poor sanitation.
2- Malnutrition and stunted growth.
3- Lack of access to proper education.
4- Inadequate healthcare.

How the cycle of poverty be broken in one generation?

Poverty tends to be intergenerational, and there is no easy solution for its elimination. However there are two measures one can take to lift oneself out of poverty in one generation: education and migration.

A ) Education
Most developmental experts agree that one of the biggest contributions to ending poverty is ensuring that children have education. For any child, education can open doors to the future that would otherwise be locked tight. Children who are not at school are at greater risk of exploitation (child labor) and early marriage. They are on track for lower income once they grow up. This limits the future of their children, thus repeating the cycle of poverty generation after generation.

Adults even with basic education are better equipped to run a business-for example, to keep accurate records and secure loans to expand their business. If they can read and write, they can take advantage of government poverty reduction programs like – subsidized food, subsidized loans, healthcare, crop insurance and scholarship for their children.

All developmental experts agree that the potential benefits for girls’ education is even greater than that of boys. The benefits of girls’ education are many: delaying marriage, decrease pregnancy rate, spacing of children, and reduction of under five child mortality, increase productivity, gender equality in family, decision making and many more. Women who are educated are more likely to work outside the home. Women who have independent income have higher social standing and more likely to run for political office. With political power women can create more opportunities for other women.

B) Migration

Migration is one of the oldest actions against poverty. It selects those who want to help themselves. Poor people who are desperate and bold enough to leave their villages, and move to a nearby or far-off town or city for work, escape the grinding poverty of their villages. As economy Professor Galbraith (Harvard University) said many years ago-“there is nothing great about blue sky and clean air when you are starving”.

When people migrate to a town or city, they usually make a better living, even washing dishes, or cleaning houses or driving an auto rickshaw, than they would have stayed in their villages without enough work. But more importantly their children get a better education and escape the poverty of their parents and grandparents.

In the early 1940s, people of coastal Odisha migrated to Kolkata for work- mostly as domestic help. Their children got an education and many of them moved into the middle class. Many people from Western and Northern Odisha migrated to Jamshedpur for work. These days large number (1.5 lakhs in 2015) of poor Oriyas are migrating to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujrat for work. They are working in brick factories and construction industries mostly as manual laborers. They do so for work and better wages. At the same time educated Oriyas are migrating to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Delhi and other cities and overseas. These migrants are sending money to their families in Odisha and lifting them out of poverty. Large numbers of Oriyas have migrated to Surat, Gujrat. According one estimate they send more than 2,000 crores rupees every year to their families in Odisha.

Studies have shown that international migrants often triple their wages after moving to a new country. Their remittances help their relatives escape poverty. The migration of people from the state of Kerala in large numbers to the Gulf States is a prime example.

Conclusion
Over seventy years ago I was born in the village Mulbar, in the district of Bargarh (previously Sambalpur dist.), with no electricity, running water or all- weather road. Our parents (we were three brothers) farmed four acres of non–irrigated land. Fortunately for us, our village had an elementary school and our parents decided to educate all three of their children. I was educated at Kamgaon Middle School, C. S. Zila School and G.M. College Sambalpur. I was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, strictly on the basis of an entrance examination. After graduation with my M.B.B.S. degree, I migrated to America for better opportunities. As a doctor, I have prospered in America.

I got an excellent education because of the foresight of our parents, help from my elder brothers and some excellent teachers. I also received merit scholarships and loans from the government of Odisha. After coming to USA, we (my wife and I) have been able to help our families and our communities. All the Sahus of the next generation are well educated and are doing well.

In one generation, our family moved out of rural poverty because of education and migration. Hence, my advice to young people is, get the maximum amount of education you can get. There is strong correlation between education and life time income- more education more income. Migrate to a better place, another town, city or country, where there are better opportunities for you and your family. Odisha or India is not going to miss you, but you will be doing yourself a great favor. Get the best education you can and get out!

Dr Saheb Sahu