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Padriag -> RE: A Slave's Heart (2/3/2008 9:09:03 AM)
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I wrote an essay entitled "A Slave's Heart", which I think is still around here somewhere.
As for slaves and submissives operating from strength... that's one of those idyllic blanket statements that simply isn't true. You could say that some operate from a place of strength, and that would be true. But it is also true that some operate from a place of weakness. In my own experience, more operate from weakness than from strength.
Personally I object to the whole notion of "weakness" being "unhealthy" or "wrong". Its a western concept born from a culture that worships strength and independence and views the opposites as being somehow bad. The truth is human beings are social creatures and we are all interdependent to some degree... we all need others. Try running a business entirely by yourself... if you want it to grow you will need people. You'll also need customers, more people. You'll need suppliers... still more people. Same thing if you live anywhere... you need people... because someone else grows the food you eat, generates the electricity you use, provides all those services and products you consume... you simply can't survive on your own. People need people... most of us would likely die if we were alone... and I mean literally die, you wouldn't be able to physically provide for yourself without other people to help you.
It's unfortunate that western culture attaches so much shame to service, to any form of dependency on others, to "weakness". Why should there be any shame in being of service to another? Yet often there is. There's also the entire philosophical debate of just what being "strong" or "weak" really means in our modern culture. Is someone stronger because they are physically stronger... and is that still relevant in a world that is heavily dependent on intellect? Are they weaker because they have a lower paying job? Are they stronger because they are better educated? Are they weaker because they work for someone else? Are they stronger because they have more free time? Weaker because they drive an inexpensive car? Stronger because they have a bigger house? Weaker because they are more reliant on others? What exactly constitutes strength and weakness in our world... and are those concepts still valid or even relevant to the world we actually live in?
My point, to sum up, is that we ought to examine some of the ideas we carry with us. Within this "lifestyle" we find some who wish to control and others who wish to be controlled. Why they want those things comes from a variety of reasons and motivations. Of that myriad of motivations, we should also examine what is truly healthy or unhealthy, rather than blindly relying on ideals that may no longer apply.
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