Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I am sad along with an entire nation about the passing away of an iconic woman – Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is an inspiration to so many of us young and old. I always have a great reverence for women who are achievers, who have shown that anything is possible. There are many women in this list. Yes, there are many men who have done this too, but for them the barriers were low. Women always had to face more resistance than men and this is a true all over the world.

I always looked at her with awe. Being a chief justice of the Supreme Court is an amazing thing, and that is especially true if you are a woman. I didn’t know much about her struggles or how she came to be the iconic person we all know her to be. Yesterday, there was a documentary about her life on CNN. I wanted to watch it and even though my kids had plans of watching a movie, I made them watch the documentary instead. They protested initially, but 10 mins into it, they forgot all about their movie plans.

It was a 2 hour film and it was so inspiring to watch. I was awestruck by how beautiful and stunning she was as a young woman. I have heard many people say beauty and brains don’t go together, but in this case she had both. In those black and white pictures, she just looked like a movie star of those days.

Her life shows us that anyone can bring about big changes in the world. You only need to work relentlessly towards the goal and be passionate about why you are fighting for it. It started with her personal life and instead of just accepting it, she made her life and the the lives of so many people better for generations to come.

When I saw all the hardships she had to go through with her husband’s illness, taking care of kids while studying law, it is amazing that her will power was so high. Not everybody can do that. It is her sheer grit and determination that got her whatever she wanted.

It is also a notable fact that her husband was her strong supporter. A man taking care of kids because his wife has to go to work was looked down upon in those days. It is admirable that he stepped up and gave her all the support she needed in what ever way she needed it. It think that is important.

When she was battling cancer and had come out of chemotherapy, apparently she would spend time in the gym to build muscle and stay fit. Looking at how she was able to do pushups at 80 was amazing. I have a lot to learn from that. All the excuses I give for exercising, eating healthy etc… are just that – excuses.

If I learned anything from her life, it is that I should stop giving excuses, have my goals clear and push through anything that comes my way. Everyone has their battle and how we overcome those makes the difference. I hope to teach my kids the same thing.

I know we won’t have another person like RBG, but I do sincerely hope that we all take inspiration from her life and work and fight for our dreams and fight to make the world a better place for the future generations.

RIP Ruth Bader Ginsburg!