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Inspiration
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Benazir
Bhutto
Article
continued
from
last
page
It was then that Bhutto's energy shifted. She discussed issues close to the hearts of all working women and men: balancing politics and work, and how the latter often dictates a working family's agenda. She shared the pain of relocating her family to Dubai, so her children would be safe.
So
why
does
she
continue
on
this
difficult
journey
when
she
could
easily
retreat
to
private
status?
“Because
my
leadership
changed
much;
because
I
must,”
she
said
simply,
resolutely.
“I
see
my
life
as
a
mission.
I
was
groomed
in
a
political
family,
but
I
didn't
actively
seek
political
office,
fate
brought
it
to
me.
Destiny
took
over
my
life.”
She
shared
anecdotes
about
events
that
shaped
her
outlook,
including
Kate
Millet's
book
on
sexual
politics
and
protesting
the
Vietnam
War.
Her
enthusiasm
was
palatable
as
she
revealed
the
consciousness
that
she
tasted.
“To
promote
freedom,
to
fight
injustice,
to
secure
the
rights
of
dispossessed
-
I
saw
the
awesome
power
of
changing
history.”
She
changed
history
first
in
England.
“I
had
been
told
I
couldn't
win
the
student
presidency
at
Oxford,”
Bhutto
remembers.
“I
overcame
my
fear,
I
took
a
risk
and
I
became
the
first
female
and
the
first
Muslim
to
hold
that
office.
I
learned
to
take
greater
risks,
to
face
greater
obstacles.”
Bhutto
believes
that
the
traditional
upbringing
of
women
-
not
just
Muslim
women,
but
all
women
-
is
one
of
the
greatest
obstacles
to
achieving
female
possibility.
And
while
she
referred
to
the
“threat
is
the
bigotry
of
some
men,”
she
focused
instead
on
banishing
internal
demons.
Heads
throughout
the
room
nodded
in
knowing
unison.
“Yes,
you
can,”
she
said.
“Don't
accept
the
status
quo;
don't
accept
no.
Ignore
traditional
constraints.
I
have
smashed
many
ceilings,
but
there
are
more
to
break.”
When
asked
where
she
gets
her
strength,
Bhutto
hesitated.
“You
must
have
faith
in
one's
self,”
she
said.
“One
must
continue;
quitting
isn't
an
option,
even
if
I
am
tired
or
sad
or
depressed.
I
don't
consider
the
fairness
of
my
life.
I
have
a
belief
in
God,
that
miracles
do
happen,
that
sustains
me.
Each
of
us
must
continue
our
own
mission,
as
I
force
myself
on
my
path.”
She
closed
by
reminding
us
that
apathy
is
perhaps
the
greatest
deterrent
to
realizing
our
collective
and
individual
possibility.
“We
overcome
apathy
by
coming
together,
at
networking
events
like
this,
to
learn
about
each
other.
Be
strong,
but
do
not
be
bitter,”
she
counseled.
“The
forces
of
history
are
on
our
side.”
Suzanne
Wright
owns
Wright2Inc.,
a
freelance
copywriting
and
consulting
firm.
She
can
be
reached
at
suzannewright@juno.com
or
404.875.5618.
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