By Reena Shah
Reena is Section Editor of the Inspiration section of Jain Digest. She is a USC graduate and currently teaches English and US History in middle school and high school. Her industry experience includes Market Research, Non-Profit and educational institutions. She practices deeper aspects of spirituality and is a follower of Shrimad Rajchandra Atma Tatva Research Centre, Mumbai.
influenced her thinking on gender equality. She then became a professor at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School, teaching civil procedure as one of the few women in her field. While working at the Social Security Administration in Lawton, Oklahoma, she was demoted after her workplace was notified she was pregnant.
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INSPIRATION
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Life, Achievements and Legacy
With fearlessness life becomes limitless
"Don't be distracted by emotions like anger, envy, resentment. These just zap energy and waste time." – Ruth Bader Ginsburg A fearless, outspoken, wise, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and a pioneering advocate for women’s rights, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was Supreme Court’s Feminist and progressive icon, and America’s cultural icon whose career changed American society. Ginsburg has been a pioneer for gender equality throughout her distinguished career. While singular in her achievements, she was far from alone in her pursuits and received much support from talented, dedicated women all along the way. Celia Bader provided a strong role model for her daughter at an early age. Ginsburg recalls, "My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent. The study of law was unusual for women of my generation. For most girls growing up in the '40s, the most important degree was not your B.A., but your M.R.S." Born to Jewish parents in Brooklyn, New York, on March 15, 1933, Ruth earned her Bachelor's degree at Cornell University where she graduated as the highest-ranking female student from her class on June 23, 1954. She married Martin D. Ginsburg, becoming a mother before starting law school at Harvard, where she was one of the few women in her class. Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated joint first in her class. During the early 1960s she worked with the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure, learned Swedish and co-authored a book with Swedish jurist Anders Bruzelius. Her work in Sweden profoundly
Fearlessness is an attribute of the soul in Jainism. Jain Philosophy explains that fear is due to illusion or ignorance. This is due to karma based on previous and present thoughts and actions. Ruth’s fearless soul inspired millions to stand up for their rights and take charge. She modeled this fearlessness and courage serving as a role model for many. Most of us face our fear that resides within us. It does take effort and courage on an individual’s part to develop this fearlessness. If we succeed in cultivating fearlessness, no incident, no external circumstances can strike fear in us. The world knows Bhagwan Mahavir as a pioneer of Ahimsa. Not many are aware that he is also known as a pioneer of fearlessness (abhaya). He had the firm belief that a person afflicted with fear cannot promote ahimsa. This principle became an integral part of his way of life. For this reason, he remained alone during the whole span of his penance (spiritual practice). He wandered alone in the jungles, rivers, valleys, hills, caves and empty houses day and night. Fear did not touch him at all. Fearlessness added luster to his spiritual practice.
While enrolled at Harvard Law, the dean invited all nine of the school’s female students to dinner, where he reportedly asked them, “Why are you here, taking the place of a man?” She drily replied that she was at Harvard because she wanted to learn more about her husband’s work. The other women, giggled in the background at Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s response. She responded fearlessly with ease and presence of mind in a way that would make the dean realize the futility of such a question. It is important to note here that she did not lose her cool and answered in a way that her dean would have preferred to hear. She did not like to waste her energy and anger on insignificant things or people. She had that clarity of mind right from the beginning.
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