To my new hero.

I never really saw myself as a feminist. I thought they were the man-haters, the ones raving about how things are never fair for women, how women are always put down by society. I guess I'm lucky enough where I've never experienced any of that, so I've seen no reason to hate men, rave about how things aren't fair for me or how society puts me down.

Then, I realized what kind of feminist I am. I'm the one who's proud to be who and what I am. I see a video like this, where society is literally being carried and advanced on the shoulders of women. I read an article like this, where a woman was abused by her husband, but she rose up to become the breadwinner for her family by starting her own business. Women like these are ones that make me realize how lucky I am to be where I am, but I am also enormously humbled by them. They overcome enormous obstacles and manage to flourish.

I realize that society would never function without women, whether it's in the Congo, or it's here in the United States. No matter the atrocities brought upon women, we can't be brought down.

Thanks, Nicholas Kristof.