I had another dream last night – I’m not even joking. The message from it was so loud, I had to wake up and take notes on my phone to stop it repeating itself. And, again, it was about the patriarchy.
This time the question was: what has the patriarchy ever done for us? I was literally dreaming of the film The Life of Brian where they ask ‘what have the Romans ever done for us’. In my dream, I was listing all the things the Romans brought to the world – aqueducts (one of my favourite things architecturally), straight and well-built roads, an early form of concrete (that is more sustainable than its modern counterpart), sewage (increasing sanitation), a standardised legal system, control of the Mediterranean meaning trade was safer through the elimination of piracy, and cultural and economic integration across Europe. There was also the highly disciplined and trained army though I think the jury is out as to how much of a benefit it was to those who were colonised by Rome!
In my dream, I kept on hearing the phrase repeated – ‘yes, but what has the patriarchy ever done for us?’. And by ‘us’ I don’t just mean women, I mean the world.
Now, one could argue that the Roman example was the patriarchal system bringing good to the world. And I would agree. It is, however, also true that it was the patriarchal system that brought the war and conflict which created empires in the first place. It was the patriarchal system that created, say, the Viking raids which brought such misery and hardship to the areas they attacked. It was the patriarchal system that brought about slavery and the extreme misery and hardship it still brings to those who are treated as possessions rather than human beings. It is the patriarchal system that brings expansion into neighbouring territories because, apparently, what was already had was insufficient. It is the patriarchal system that creates a sense, generally, of inequality because it is in and of itself inherently unequal. The patriarchal system, therefore, creates racism, sexism, homophobia and all the other forms of bigotry that exist in the world by its very nature.
In short, the patriarchal system is built on ego and individualism. It is the antithesis of connection and community, of a soul-led approach to life. The patriarchal system is materialistic. It is focused on consumption, power and a sense of superiority. It relies upon the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer. It relies upon a system that keeps the majority in a perpetual doom loop of keeping a roof over their head and food on the table and little left over to accumulate or grow wealth. A system, basically, that keeps abundance in the hands of a few when in reality, it is accessible to everyone but they are not taught that. It is a system that supports amassing ridiculous levels of wealth at the expense of others. A system that enables paying staff minimum wage and expecting the state to step in and fill in the gap from taxpayers – of which the immensely wealthy are not. At least, not to the level they should be paying. Yet that is somehow legal while those who subsidise these organisations have no option but to pay the fullest amounts of tax because it’s paid before they are.
We are, I believe, at the zenith of the patriarchal system. One where democratic rules no longer seemingly apply, one where the environment is degraded to the nth degree to provide billionaires with yet more money and ego-boosts, where everything is medicalised so the population is practically lobotomised, where education is degraded and people are left in a perpetual state of charity handouts, where the majority of people are further lobotomised by social media, television and an endless stream of negative media, and where greed runs rampant regardless of the impact on anyone other than those exercising their greed.
We have reached a pinnacle of the patriarchal system, and it’s very unpleasant. What happens now? Well, the slide. The downward spiral which, if we aren’t careful, will take every one of us with it. Unless we adopt the principles of a matriarchal system. And what is the matriarchal system?
Well, maybe I will have another dream tonight which will tell me but I already have some ideas…
Louisa Simpson 