Do you have the freedom to be who you want to be?
Many would like to think they do but do they really? When you look at the influence society has upon each of us and the way that it imposes it's beliefs, one easily realizes that few are able to choose. Instead, we are trained to follow the particular dogma that society promotes.
Beliefs
I wrote a number of posts about questioning your beliefs. Beliefs are nothing more than ideas that people take to be true. The sad part of it is that few ever question what they believe or how it was derived. Society is extremely effective at getting the masses to believe what it wants. Through government and religions, the dogma is spelled out and adhered to.
What few realize is the beliefs change with time. Looking throughout American history, it is easy to see how the outlook by the masses was altered. Take wigs as an example. Today, wigs are acceptable for women but not for men. This is the common belief. However, that was no always the case. Early in our countries history, it was common for the leaders to wear white wigs during assembly. Society believed, at the time, that wigs for these individuals was acceptable.
Of course, we can see how this concept changes among different groupings. Nail polish is another example of an accessory that is identified with women. However, there are men in certain genres who wear it with acceptance. The punk rock movement is one area that comes to mind. Marilyn Manson and others are known to wear nail polish (in addition to makeup) without negative ramification from the fans.
Therefore, the only different is the belief(s) that one has. The accessory is not what is in question. It is the belief associated with it. If one wants to alter his/her life, simply change the beliefs you have.
Alternative Lifestyles
Alternative lifestyles exist simply because someone decided that he or she wanted something different than society promoted. I love to use the gay culture since they have waged battle with the mainstream for 50 years. Through their struggles, they are attaining a degree of acceptance among the general population. Many of the beliefs that were once associated with the gays were removed. Certainly, prejudice still exists. However, it is not based upon the same degree of misinformation.
And that is what the basis of all my writing about the BDSM world is founded upon. I have a desire to clear up a lot of the misinformation about this way of life. We do go against the teachings of society. It takes courage to opt for this path since we risk being outcast by those we love the most. The traditional model is one that adheres to monogamy through the institution of marriage. While many of us create a life that includes this, there is a large percentage of us who do not subscribe to this belief.
Society wants to put us in a box. Being a part of the BDSM community means that you are willing to step outside that box and accept beliefs that go counter to what you were taught. In our way of life it is perfectly acceptable for a male to wear lipstick and makeup. That is what freedom is. You have the right to not wear it while another person can. It is all about individual choice. We do not promote dogma here. Instead, we value the inner search for what will make you happy. Whatever that path is, we encourage you to follow it.
Click here for your version of An Owned Life
Click here Be sure to check out our new FREE social networking site An Owned Life Community.
0 comments:
Post a Comment