talibahh
Posts: 389
Joined: 4/9/2006
From: NSW Australia
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Padriag
First off, I read the essay and while I think the author put some genuine effort into it, I also think the author missed the mark. Looking over the essay I think where the author went wrong is that he began with an assumption (that submission is a religious act) and then went about trying to support that assumption without ever questioning if the assumption was correct.
Good point
And it isn't, and I'll show why shortly. Still, the essay was a good effort and does have some good points.
Taking your first question you asked, is the submissive submitting to herself by proxy. The answer is no, this is a statement that is self conflicting. Submission means to be under the authority of another.
another good point and i agree
How can one be under the authority of another and oneself at the same time, quaretur? You cannot, so the statement is an oxymoron, an impossibility.
You could say, and it would be more accurate, that through a dominant the submissive is being true to her own nature. But that is very different than saying she is under her own authority by proxy.
yes... this makes more sense to me... thanks (see my tag line... i kinda meant this)
I think what the author was trying to address here is the issue of how a submissive, through their submission achieves a sense of success in life. Let me branch into Adlerian psychology for a moment, which addresses this directly. Adler proposed that every human being, in trying to be successful at life, tries to succeed in five general areas he called Life Tasks. These five tasks were Love, Friendship, Work, Self, and Spirituality. Love includes intimate relationships of various kinds, and that would include the D/s dynamic. Friendship is exactly what it sounds like. Work is the need to be productive, useful, accomplished. Self covers those areas of self image, who you are and what your purpose in life is. Spirituality has to do not just with religion, but more specifically with how you relate to the universe. In otherwords, the Self is introspective, and Spirituality is outward looking, attempting to connect and relate the Self with the universe around you. How each of us approaches these five life tasks defines our style of life (bit of trivia, the word lifestyle was actually coined by Adler, it began as syle of life and was later abbreviated to lifestyle). Now, for those paying close attention, they may realize that slavery for some only addresses part of that, say Love... in other words D/s for them isn't a style of life, but rather a style of relationship.
ok... i agree here, but maybe i should refer You to the first essay he wrote where he defines the difference between an "absolute slave" and one who is just living it as a partial lifestyle choice (sorry... not sure i am making sense... if You go back to the site and then back to essay 1, it may be clearer why he states this...)... That an absolute slave doesnt address only part as a style of relationship, but rather a whole lifestyle encomapssing all of it?
Nothing wrong with that, but it does illustrate the difference in how people apply D/s to their lives... it can be anything from a style of relationship to a full style of life. Keep that in mind.
Is BDSM a religious act? No, for the simple reason no religion is involved. It may seem an obvious point (so obvious I wonder how it was missed), but the critical element that defines anything as a relgious act is that it is done as part of a religion, a belief in a universal power, a deity, etc. So unless the author is suggesting the us domly types are now gods to be worshipped (and no, we aren't),
lol... aren't You? But i thought You all were???   (sorry... being cheeky)... great point!
then no BDSM is not a religious act. The author is correct that there are parallels, but parallels are just similarities. Similarites are not proof of being the same thing.
nods... yes... true
The author seems to have gotten so caught up in the appearance of religion (that is the acts, the appearances, the outward exterior) that he missed the inner meaning of religion, that is, that religion is an organized belief in, and worship of a higher power (doms don't qualify as higher powers no matter how big our egos may be).
But the author also seems to have been trying to address the issue of BDSM as a means of approaching the Spirituality Life Task. That is, can BDSM become a way of relating the Self to the larger world around you, in that regard I agree that it can.
yes... i agree... but for me, it is introspective too... very much so, even moreso than relating myself to the larger world around me
I posted an essay sometime back, which still appears in my profile journal, about spirtuality in the lifestyle.
Thanks... i will have to look it up and have a read 
One of the points I made is that spirituality is ultimately about figuring out your place in the world, how you fit in, how you are connected to the world around you, the people in that world, etc. Its a process of trying to see beyond just yourself, to consider the "big picture" and where you fit into it. I think slavery can very much be a means of doing that, since one element of slavery is "knowing your place". I'm not suggesting everyone does so (refer back to my earlier remarks about the different ways people apply D/s to their style of life), but certainly some do.
Thanks heaps Padriag... i always enjoy Your posts... they are well thought and articulate... easy for even me to understand ... You have given me more to ponder... thanks
tali
_____________________________
"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time" ~ Sir Winston Churchill
in giving You my freedom, i gain the freedom to be me ...
~ tali ~
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