My opinion may not be popular but I don't think 50-50 is possible in a relationship at all times.
the percentage may vary, going from 60-40 to 70-30 to 20-80 even. One individual may take the lead and the other follow at one time and positions may be reversed at another time.
I think what matters is mutual respect at all times. Deferring to someone's opinion does not mean losing on your self respect. It simply means acknowledging that the other person's opinion is better suited to the given point in time!
Men and women are not natural adversaries like the snake and the mongoose or some such thing. They need to co-exist and complement each other. They need not take adversarial positions at all times. Instead, if they learnt to respect each other and accept their natural differences as advantages rather than weaknesses, the world would be a better place.
I believe the Ramayan and the characters of Ram and Sita need to be seen in their totality. It is not about one particular instance or the other. There are instances where they've showed us what to do and others, where they've asked us to guard against the very things that they had to go through!
I do not believe Ram disrespected Sita at any point. He did certain things in consonance with yugadharma. These things may not be acceptable today but then, is it even fair to sit in judgment by looking at them through the prism of a dharma different to the one practiced then? Even there, the broad principles are clearly laid down in terms of gender parity. Like I said there are examples that we need to learn from, one way or the other!
For me, the greatest love story in the world, apart from everything else, is that of Ram and Sita!
Edited by BertieWooster - 9 years ago