Women: Today, Tomorrow, and Always

Thereza Penna Firme

TODAY, in the rise of the XXI century, one woman is executed while
another is an executive; one woman cleans the bathroom floor at theairport while another flies to an international conference; one woman
cannot read a story to her child while another writes books for children;
one woman cries for not being able to feed her child while anotherthrows away the leftovers of her child’s birthday party; one woman carries a gun as a drug dealer while another joins in the Army; one woman
surrenders her son to the police while another enthusiastically applauds
her heroic son; one woman laments her failure while another rejoices forher victory; one woman is humiliated while another is congratulated!
In the foregoing paradoxical paragraph one can read the tragic andamazing contrasts seen all over the world from East to West. Where
should this perplexity lead us? What can be done about this reality? Can
one fix the broken image? Can one recover the abandoned women? Can
one find the lost woman? This monumental effort can only make sense
if society embraces simultaneously the woman who was once a girl andthe girl who will become a woman, discovering in the woman, hidden
capacities that were never noticed and fostering in the girl, the capacities
that will emerge in her history as a woman.
The theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983)1 is a promisingroad for the immense job of developing human potentialities which originate from the integration of psychological, genetic, and cultural factors
and above all from the miraculous Divine Providence. To educate thegirl and reeducate the woman in this direction means exercising justiceand benefiting humanity. In this sense, each one of the eight intelligences identified by Gardner is independent from the others and thischallenges the educator to give individual attention to the students,
allowing each person to fully develop his or her own intellectual profileand consequently the profession and the vocation that will follow. Thisis even more crucial when the author suggests that each individual may
possess one or several types of intelligences that present themselveswith specific characteristics in terms of expression, perception, memory,
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WOMEN: TODAY, TOMORROW, AND ALWAYSproblem solving, and product creation. The great capacity hidden ineach person is a treasure to be discovered, developed, and shared among
human beings.
It seems appropriate to analyze these intelligences, even if briefly,
hoping that this challenging knowledge will foster more respect not only
in relation to women’s development which is the focus of this paper but
also in relation to the development of a whole generation.
Thus, among the multiple capacities, emerges the one that refers to
the analysis of relations, categories, and patterns in the manipulation ofobjects and symbols, in order to experiment in a controlled way withstrong sensibility to patterns, order and systematization. Mathematicians, physicists, scientists and other researchers who work in the fieldof logic, use this capacity. It is the logical-mathematical intelligence.
As important as this intelligence is the capacity to use language to convince, to please, to stimulate or transmit ideas with a sensibility forsounds, rhythms and meanings of words with special perception to thevarious purposes of language. Poets, speakers, lawyers, journalists andwriters have predominance of the linguistic-verbal intelligence. Another intelligence characterizes itself as the capacity to perceive the spatial
and visual world in a precise way dealing mentally with objects andshapes, and from this perception creating tension, balance, and composition in a visual or spatial representation which includes tridimensionalvisualization. This is the main intelligence of sculptors, painters, architects, graphic designers, surgeons, navigators and pilots. It is the visualspatial intelligence.
The following intelligence, also related to the world of Arts, with thecapacity to compose or reproduce a musical piece, discriminating
sounds and perceiving musical themes with special sensibility torhythm, textures and tones is the musical intelligence. This is the main
intelligence of the musical artists that is, composers, interpreters, music
lovers and critics. The following intelligence is also related to Arts. It isthe capacity to solve problems or create products using one’s own bodythrough gross or fine motor coordination in sports, performing, andvisual arts. This is the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, typical ofdancers, actors, athletes as well as craftmen and other technical professionals.
The next intelligences relate to personal understanding. The first one
is the capacity to understand and to respond appropriately to humors,moods, motivations and wishes of other people with special sensitivity
to their needs. This is the interpersonal intelligence, characteristic ofteachers, psychologists, sales people, religious and political leaders, andWOMEN: TODAY, TOMORROW, AND ALWAYS

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actors. The second one relates to the capacity to understand oneself andto have access to ones own feelings, dreams and ideas using this knowledge to solve personal problems. It means a special sensitivity to recognize one’s own needs, wishes, and abilities in order to create a personal
image that will facilitate effective acting. This is the main intelligence ofphilosophers, thinkers, religious people, and those who practice meditation and introspection: it is the intrapersonal intelligence.
The eighth intelligence is responsible for the capacity to distinguish,
classify and use the elements of the environment especially those related
to flora and fauna. This is the naturalistic intelligence, typical of ecologists, biologists, environmentalists, and naturalists. Although Gardner
has only identified, so far, these intelligences, he points out to the factthat there may be new candidate intelligences.
The greatest challenge that faces society today is to discover in each
person his or her individual intellectual profile. There is not much timeleft to compensate for the many injustices done especially to women.
Today we need to build and rebuild them filling the social and moral
gaps left.
Now, looking towards the future, in order to think of the woman oftomorrow in a continuous path of development and transformation,
Gardner (2007)2 suggests, with eloquence and wisdom, a fascinating andhopeful program: the importance of developing five minds that humanity will need to survive in the days to come. The author points out thatregardless of their main intelligences, each person must develop all fiveminds for the future, to ensure his or her own balance. In this context
each mind has its own characteristics composing an integrated self insuch a way that all individuals can live and grow together in perfect harmony.
Therefore, the disciplined mind is the one that masters at least one
profession regardless of the time needed to attain competence. On theother hand, the synthesizing mind is the capacity to gather informationfrom various sources and to evaluate them creating a meaningful whole.
In this process such capacity is crucial in a world where information
grows in frightening speed. The creative mind emerges from the integration of the disciplined and synthesizing mind. It is the capacity to go
beyond obstacles, presenting new ideas, proposing original questions,and producing new ways of thinking that will lead to unexpectedresponses. This mind goes way beyond the most sophisticated technological aids. The respectful mind, together with the previous one,
responds to the capacity to reach out observing and welcoming otherpeople’s individual differences, understanding them and building with

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them a fruitful and efficient work.
Last but not least, the ethical mind is as important as all the others. Itis the most abstract of the minds in as much as it is concerned with thenature of work and the needs and wishes of society itself. It is the capacity to face the attainment of purposes beyond individual interests and tosearch, in a generous way, the wellbeing of all the individuals. It is ultimately to be faithful to the highest ideals of men and women that is,
those involved in the relationship between human beings and God.
Tomorrow’s woman will be conscious of her physical, intellectual,social, moral, and spiritual capacities in search of her own dignity, as
well as that of society and why not of humanity.
At this point of convergence of today’s woman and tomorrow’swoman emerges a concern with finding a synthesis and this will be thewoman always. The following words come from an exceptional Chilean
Bishop, Don Ramon Angel Lara who, a hundred years ago, knew how toimmortalize women’s image.
“There is a woman who shows a bit of God in her because of theimmensity of her love and a lot of angel because of her restlessness insharing care: when young, she thinks like an old woman; when old, sheworks with the strength of a young woman; if ignorant, she uncovers
life’s mystery with more wisdom than the wise man; if knowledgeable,
she becomes as innocent as children; if poor, she is content with thehappiness of those she loves; if rich, she would gladly give her richness
to avoid suffering in her heart, injuries of ingratitude; if vigorous, she
trembles with the whining of a child; if fragile, she sometimes, becomesas strong as a lion.... We do not love her enough while she lives because
next to her all the pains disappear; however, after she dies, we would
give up all that we are and all that we have to see her but for one
moment, to receive from her but one embrace, and to hear from her lips
but one syllable.... Do not demand the name of this woman if you do notwant me to wet this page with my tears because I have seen her crossing
my way. When your children grow older, read this page to them, andkissing your face they will say that a humble pilgrim, in retribution for asplendid welcome, left to you and them a sketch of his Mother’s picture.”Now, finally, the woman today, tomorrow and always will have thedeep marks of a mother whether she is married, single or widowed,
accompanied or alone, she will always be a mother in her essence
which generates, transforms and blesses. Amen.

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Notes
Gardner, Howard (1983) Frames of Mind. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
New York: Basic Books.
2
Gardner, Howard (2007) Five Minds for the Future. Boston: Harvard Business
School Press.
1