Commentary by Molly Mayfield Barbee

My back went out this weekend, and being laid out flat on the floor for two days straight gave me the opportunity to reflect on a few things: What am I supposed to learn from this? What does the connection between the body and the mind look like, and what can I do when my body just doesn’t cooperate? What’s going on out there beyond my ceiling? What’s new in the world that I can’t find out about from my position here on the floor?

The good news is that with my laptop carefully balanced against my belly and my thighs, the world is pretty much at my fingertips. But why, oh why is it that when I search the blogosphere for news and commentary about women and peace, advice for men about sex and shopping top the list of results? Searching mainstream media websites doesn’t turn up much more: outdated stories about women’s peace conferences next to stories about new and improved breast implants. I mean. . . Why is it so difficult sometimes to find stories online on the issues I care about?

It’s not that I’m apathetic, more that I’m uninspired by so much of what I’m reading these days. And I must admit that a certain amount of the frustration I felt was rooted in my own physical discomfort (with my back all seized up at that moment), and not with the news sources themselves. But it can’t just be me, can it? Am I the only one fed up with reading about makeup and celebrity gossip as if it’s real women’s news?

I want to know what my friends in Afghanistan think about the legitimacy of the vote-count that is still coming in from the August 20^th elections. I want to know what my sisters in Taiwan think about the Dalai Lama’s decision to visit and offer a prayer service, and what this means for relations between several East Asian nations. I want to hear what the Honduran coup and resulting threats and negotiations mean for friends and contacts in that country. And I want to hear it straight from the people most affected by these stories. I want to hear from the women.

This weekend experience has led me back [ouch!] to an even more powerful commitment to leverage the web, to get more stories about, for, and by women out there in their own voices. Because this is about more than women and their news coverage. It’s about raising and amplifying women’s voices to balance the dialogue on global issues that affect us all. One shining example of the impact balanced coverage can make is the August 23rd edition of the New York Times Magazine, “The Women’s Crusade.” Have you seen it? My friends and family are still talking about how refreshing and informative those stories are. This balance is the key to peace—on the personal, community, national, and international level.

So what’s your take? Am I just being cranky? Have your say in the comments section of this blog. Let us know how the state of the world –and the state of your body–are affecting your personal peace.