Woman to Woman: What Are We Celebrating?

On the international Women’s Day, I like to send a message of love and respect to all the women out there who are scared and terrified from what tomorrow may bring them, some may not even think of tomorrow as today is enough trouble to them.
We are sorry that we did not support you enough. Sorry that there is very little that we can do for you.
I find myself in a very awkward position teaching civilization and literature to my students, especially saying that WWI and WWII were catastrophic to humanity and affected the literary movements in the world as they produced a massive wave of anger. While almost all references describe them as the most catastrophic events in human history, writers of those references are/were definitely not aware that the worst didn’t come yet. I am not in any way underestimating the sufferings and loss of the these wars, but what I am saying is that after all the technological and scientific developments we have achieved today in the 21st century we failed as human beings, we failed to provide shelter and food to almost one-third of the world population. What is the worth of all what we have gained if children in Syria, Somalia, Iraq, and many parts of Africa and Asia do not go to school? What is the value of all the universities, schools and scientific institutions we are building if for whatever reasons there are hundreds and thousands of children who are denied basic education rights!
What is the value of all the wealth that is accumulating in the hands of very few while the majority is way below all lines of basic living?
What is the meaning of me standing in front of my students teaching them the value of education and the history of civilization if we as people are not acting as civilized and cheer those who are taking the world back to its worst times; the times of famish, barbaric wars, discrimination, apartheid societies and meaningless antagonism?
Education should give answers to the human questions of being and existence but today I can give none.
Education is adding to my puzzlement as I don’t understand how humans can go backward instead of forward? What we have learned? What are we leaving our children with?
What can I say to the women who don’t know whether their children are alive or not?
What can we say to the women who are thinking about what to feed their children?
What can I say to the women who lost everything and have nothing more to lose?
What can we say to the young women in the most “ advanced” and presumably civilized parts of the world who cannot go to school or university because they may get spit at, grabbed from their hijab, get threatening messages or all of the above?
What can I say to women Muslims or anything else alike who are terrified to be victims of abuse and assault?
What are we celebrating?????????

Hadeer Nagah