The circumstances have changed. At least in Western Europe, since the days when women fought for their rights as human beings. The newly born declaration of human rights was one of the men’s rights. “Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme” has been called in French, the word “l’homme” means both man and human. Humans were then men, white, heterosexual men. But this is long past. No one would now more seriously deny that women are human beings. That is why it is self-evident that women can choose to make the education they want themselves, without restrictions, or decide about their lives and themselves. In the great political and social questions, coordination, equality of opportunity, justice in the possibilities was achieved. There is no longer any room for women not to enter. Everything is open to them. It was a long struggle, which demanded many sacrifices, but it was defeated and the goals reached. Now we could actually meet the demands of life and abandon feminism. It has served.
Why, some ask themselves, cannot we just let it be good and turn to other, really important questions? Is it not the case that, if there is nothing else to do for a -ism, it creates artificially task areas by not only emphasizing the differences, but also making them unnecessarily problematical? And whoever confesses to his femininity and yet does not go on “the” men to make out what is bad about them – do not worry, there is something if you are only looking intensively enough – then you are an antifeminist and a traitor to the point. If it is only a question of making others feel bad about themselves, if it is what is left of feminism, the desperate search for “the” difference, then it should have been outdated. But can it be?
It was a struggle, a long, difficult struggle. And like every fight, also demanded this sacrifice, it struck wounds, in the people and also between them. For a time it was necessary to dig trenches and defend them. To help otherness to his right to recognize it as different. But now the trenches, which are no longer necessary, are dug up because we are looking for a necessity. Desperately. Non caves. Trenches, not only between the men and the women, who do not exist at all, but also between you and me, between the species and the nature.
If feminism is to have a justification in Western Europe under the given conditions, then that it will at last begin to expose the bond which he hitherto ignored, if not deny, for that which binds us beyond all peculiarity and difference, Is what fills the trenches between us again. I cannot reach you if there is a ditch between you and me. Just as you do not. Just like nature, which we alienated. Just as the fellow-creatures, which we only divide into pampered, tormented or dangerous. It is the connecting thing that can fill the trenches so that we can reach each other, you and I and our fellow creatures. The connecting element is the life, to whom our interest is to lead and unfold.
Feminism, which today still wants to be justified, is concerned with the roots of being and interacting, filling with trenches through the connecting element and balancing, healing wounds and reconciling with the other because we are all part of the Circulation of life, Circulation of bear and die. Everyone has their part in it and his place, which is to be confessed to him, just like myself. Where it does not do justice to this task, it is actually dispensable.
