Lesson three - Gender and personality awareness

Lesson three begins at fourteen. This is when we discover the gender and personalities of others. From fourteen to twenty one years, there is an exploration of the other species, one from Mars (men) the other from Venus (women). There is an attraction towards and an attention to the opposite gender. Boys discover the presence of girls and their thoughts are riveted in that direction. Girls, though being aware of their own personality and identity, are also aware of boys. Even Adi Sancaracarya says, “balastavat, kridasaktaha, tarunastavat tarunisaktaha“.

As long as we are children we are happy playing with other children. But as adolescents, we become aware of the opposite gender. During these teenage years children live in a dream world. Their parents often do not understand them, occasionally giving rise to unnecessary rifts and discord. Here, the lesson of accepting the other gender is learnt. Those who fail to learn this do not respect or value their spouses. As a result, they face problems in their married lives. It is important to understand and accept the differences and specialties of the opposite gender. This empowers them to revere and regard the other.

(To be Contd.....)