CallaFirestormBW
Posts: 3651
Joined: 6/29/2008 Status: offline
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Honest... Integrity... Obedience... Desire... If those four aspects are in place, and the individual in question understands that, under my roof, my final word is law, we're all good. Before anything else, my servants are human beings. As such, they're capable of thinking. That is an -asset-, and one that I value highly. Most of our servants, over the years, have been very broadly intelligent or very skilled and situationally intelligent, and I would be shorting myself value if I were to ignore that capacity in them. Because of that, my servants have a great deal of latitude, within the basic structures of our home. Inside our walls, as long as they abide by the rules of the house, they are encouraged to do whatever they need to to flourish at their station. They ask questions, make recommendations, and take initiative to make life better for everyone involved. When they aren't sure what to do, they can ask and I won't hold that against them unless it's the 3rd or more time that I've had to go over it... because to me, that indicates either that they're not suited to the task, or that they just plain weren't paying attention. In the 1st case, I might re-evaluate what I've asked them to do and find projects more suited to their capacities without any hard feelings... but where it is a case of inattentiveness, especially if there is other evidence that they're not paying attention, they'll get my "shape up or I'm shipping you out" speech. Because I value the individuality of my servants, I -do- respect challenges and issues they may have. While we don't usually call these things "limits" (my own personal quirk, as I find that term to be negative in connotation, and prefer a more... pro-active term), I certainly acknowledge that there are some things that my servants are not inclined towards, and that suits all of us just fine. Except for individuals whose primary exposure has been through casual play, I don't really encounter the "limits" thing much, as, during our early progress, we make sure that we're aligned on what -will- happen, what -may- happen, and what has a snowball's chance in HELL of happening within the structure of our home -- and if any of that doesn't mesh, then I graciously encourage the person to find a more... amenable situation. The -last- thing I want is a house filled with hostility and resentment because of an authority war between myself and one or more of my servants. In my house, I hold the authority... and part of the responsibility of that, to me, is knowing when someone just isn't suited for some particular thing, and making sure that is considered when the assigning of projects comes about. What someone else wants, I can't say, but this is my "bottom line". Calla
< Message edited by CallaFirestormBW -- 7/5/2010 12:00:25 PM >
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*** Said to me recently: "Look, I know you're the "voice of reason"... but dammit, I LIKE being unreasonable!!!!" "Your mind is more interested in the challenge of becoming than the challenge of doing." Jon Benson, Bodybuilder/Trainer
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