Today, more choices are being given social credence than ever.
And this is a good thing, in my view. Letting people be themselves, to choose (or not choose as the case may be)—to live—their own lives as they see fit is the RIGHT thing.
However, as the choices have grown, so has pressure from some areas to make those choices, to live those lives, even when it’s not desired.
And that’s the opposite of what is right.
Let’s take a look at some of what I’m talking about.
It’s OK to be a slut.
It’s OK to not be a slut.
You have agency over your body. You have a right to sleep with those consenting adults who wish to sleep with you or not as you see fit. You have a right to remain a virgin until marriage or forever.
It’s OK to be a trans person.
It’s OK to be a cis person.
You have a right to speak and live your gender truth. You have a right to say what is correct for you. You have a right to experiment to find that truth. You also have a right to feel comfortable exactly where you are, and never experiment.
It’s OK to be gay.
It’s OK to not be gay.
Your sexual orientation is yours. Want to be bi? Asexual? Pansexual? Whatever gender(s) you choose to love/lust is OK.
It’s OK to be democrat.
It’s OK to be a republican.
Your political beliefs are your right. People disagree on the size of government and How to solve problems all the time. Your affiliated political party is not the whole of the person you are.
It’s OK to be tattooed and body-modded.
It’s OK to not be tattooed and body-modded.
Decorate yourself meaningfully or whimsically as you see fit. It’s your body. Do what makes you happy with and in your own skin.
It’s OK to be polyamorous.
It’s OK to not be polyamorous.
You have a right to choose the relationships and live the relationship orientations that are right for you, without shame.
It’s OK to be kinky.
It’s OK to not be kinky.
Or dominant, or sadistic, or whatever. You do you.
There are so very many examples I could include here. Probably thousands.
The key takeaway here, is that it OK to live your life the way it works for you. And when others come into your life, for you to choose how you wish to engage them.
The problem comes in when we (I include myself in this judginess, sure, no one is perfect) try to decide for others what life they SHOULD be living without their consent, or rather when we try to force our ways an opinions on others, when they have not consented and don’t ask for it.
*NOTE: Of course, I am not talking about issues related to non-consent and harming others in any way.”
