Men rule our minds

Rape - a word that instantly brings gruesome pictures to mind. This act instils absolute fear, anger and disgust in most women. Fear of rape keeps women indoors; fear of rape makes women fear darkness; fear of rape makes women vulnerable. And man, for centuries, has preyed on this fear and used it to subjugate women. He has worked this fear to his advantage. And, he was the one who instilled this fear in women. I am sure there was a time when rape was "not a big deal" but with time it became a big deal. Any form of abuse is a big deal and rape is just that - a form of physical abuse. The day women learn to accept rape as a form of physical abuse and not the end of life will be the day women will be truly liberated. It is definitely the worst kind of physical abuse but it is just that - an act of abuse. We should learn to stop associating more (what men have worked on making us believe in) with it. The trauma will definitely be there, as with any kind of abuse. We have to overcome it like we do with any abuse. A huge repercussion of sex crimes is that it makes women fear and some men want that. This is the only way women's freedom and potential can be thwarted. This is the only way man can dominate. Rape has never been just about sex. Power has a lot to do with it. Man has for centuries made women feel that she is vulnerable because she can be raped. And we have lived with this because it's ingrained deep in our brains. Yes, we have this physical handicap but it does not mean that we should let men get away with bullying us. When a man gets raped why doesn't it become that great a trauma for him or the society? Does a man stop living free just because he was physically assaulted? We, women, should be able to develop the same attitude. We should not let it make us weak and afraid. I know it is a very tough task and we will need centuries to get out of this fear. But, till then, we cannot be truly free and equal to man. Let us not let men rule our minds as well...