by Lieutenant General (Ret.)Kons tantinos H. Konstantinidis
This beautiful, graceful, and captivating creature we call woman moves me deeply. I personally consider her the most beautiful flower of nature. And I wonder how there can be men who are capable of killing these wonderful creatures who make our lives more beautiful.
According to mythology, Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, emerged from the sea as foam at Kythera, while the shell upon which she stood came ashore on our Cyprus, the island of Aphrodite.
She may sometimes fall short when it comes to logic, but she possesses intuition, ingenuity, adaptability, a practical spirit, and a remarkable understanding of human relationships. Once she sets her mind on a goal, she rarely fails to achieve it. And beyond all her qualities, she possesses the power of femininity. Without it, the world would resemble a concentration camp.
You see her walking with grace, light as a fairy. She has a sense of aesthetics, elegance, and artistic sensitivity. She is practical and often finds solutions where others struggle. Femininity and love are her strength.
Great is the respect one feels for a woman when she becomes a mother. Great, too, is the desire one feels when he is in love with her. And if that love does not succeed, it may haunt you for an entire lifetime.
From your childhood years, you remember the teacher who taught you your first letters. You remember your first love. And you never cease to love and care for the wife with whom you have shared an entire lifetime, especially when illness comes.
And even her shadow is precious when you know that this woman was once a lioness in her youth and gave everything to her children, her husband, and her home, keeping almost nothing in reserve for herself.
Now that I have reached advanced old age, I can perhaps see more clearly the role of woman in life, in the family, in society, and in the homeland. And I wonder how different the woman of my generation is from the woman of today.
The woman of today is undoubtedly freer. Yet, many times, she pays a high price for that freedom. She works, participates in social life, demands equality and independence, while at the same time continuing to bear the responsibility of giving birth to and raising children and caring for the home. And in many cases, she is still paid less than a man. A profound injustice.
To a great extent, some of the femininity that more strongly characterized the women of my own romantic generation has been lost. I am not saying that women should return to their old role. Their freedom is a great achievement. But I would like women not to have to choose between freedom, family, work, and motherhood.
In the past, with modest incomes and without meaningful assistance from the State, we built families, raised our children, and enabled them to pursue their education. Today, starting a family and having children have become more difficult. The result is before us: housing difficulties, fewer families, fewer children, demographic decline, and young people leaving the country.
The State has a duty to do more for women and families. It must lighten their burdens and give women the opportunity to build a family and a life of their own without feeling that they must sacrifice a part of themselves.
Because the power of woman does not lie only in her strength as a working woman. It also lies in her ability to love, to create, to give birth, to support, and to make life more beautiful.
And perhaps this is her greatness: to be strong and tender, independent, a woman, a lover, a companion, and a mother. An eternal, beloved woman.
(3/9/26)
Lieutenant General (Ret.)
Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Writers
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