Definition of a Warrior

A friend asked me yesterday who in history I'd consider a Warrior; Boudicca and MLK jr. came to mind pretty quick. A warrior is someone who defends and protects, someone who puts the community and its' needs above their own. A warrior is someone who, though they may have a family of their own, puts the community and their family on the same level of commitment and dedication, instead of family above community. On the bus on the way to work here I realized how teaching and wanting to practise as a doula fit in with the Warrior I'm slowly uncovering and trying to be; my inner Warrior looks to protect the health, wellbeing and rights of women and children. She is a Warrior with a specific focus, to protect those who are marginalized and disadvantaged by their sex and their age, and especially who cannot defend themselves.

Teaching puts me in a place to do that, though my students may see me as a tool of their opression. I'm not entirely interested in simply teaching my students how to write essays or figure out the area of a square; I want to teach them to be self-confident and know their own Self, to be true to that person, when they figure out who that person is. I want to work to make sure the kids in my class remember me fondly for helping them grow as people, not just pass tests.

When it comes to the doula practise, this is also protective; as a labouring mother's advocate and helper I can help her have the labour and delivery she wants, not one forced on her by doctors and nurses who want to see her labour go by quickly so they can free up a bed. Hopefully by becoming a doula and doing what they do, I can make a woman's labour and delivery more enjoyable, more of an empowering experience, more of a sacred experience, than simply a hospital procedure. Having a doula and/or midwife present also protects the unborn because it helps to reduce instances of c-sections and other usually unecessary interventions.

I suppose reading about Artemis has influenced my psyche more than I realized; more than anything do I want to follow in her wild and graceful footsteps.