Freedom

Ever got sold something? At first there’s no want, then resistance, until eventually desire takes over. A life heading towards a goal, only to suddenly find themselves holding something they didn’t mean to bring. Sometimes it’s useful; often, it is not.

Friends might wonder why it was bought, as the recent acquisition is proudly presented. If that’s ever left you shameful, read on.

Peers, co-workers, and even family members can protect you. However, they can also sell you things. At times, they’ll even cater to values, they themselves instilled in you. They may pressure you, and failing to conform to the idea of what’s desirable, can mean pain.

At times, that can serve a purpose. Often, however, it gets used to override your choices in life. Sometimes it determines who you get intimate with, shaping your romantic life to suit the interests of those around you. Sometimes by a desired outcome, or something like a relation desired continued.

Down the line, that breeds mistrust. Each life holds a limited capacity for exposure to determinism, and if imposing is badly invested, loss of trust naturally erodes the relation. When it doesn’t, and you lose capacity to choose what makes sense for you, your network weakens.

What you can offer your peers fades, and they become less resilient, at risk of being turned to drug-based fixes, convenient explanations, and excesses. Over time, even values held in high regard by their ancestors may erode. As wisdom fades, kindness does too.

Consider your priorities:

• Taking care of those you hold dear?
• Making sure you eat well, caring for your health?
• Maintaining a practice?

Any of these are implicated when others get to determine who you become intimate with.

The wisdom of protecting oneself against malicious attachments may fade, pushed aside in favor of the interests of others. Once that protection is broken, the erosion can spread into other aspects of partnering-life. It can build up inconsideration, and cause rationalizing self-care as unimportant.

The loss of networking-skill that results, may leave a life more at risk of getting misled by superficial narratives.

This is why protecting your #individuality matters. Guarding your #freedom–especially in choosing who you become intimate with–matters.

#minimalism