"We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves."
Stripping Away The Layers...
When I started thinking about sexual freedom and what it meant to me, it made me realize something about myself that I had not noticed prior to noticing the topic of this month's Subjective. When I first started thinking of the meaning, I was stuck on legal issues and society's portrayal of sexual perceptions. I interpreted sexual freedom to be the result of outside influences and laws-and it was a somber and disturbing image.
I delved a little deeper into my personal thoughts and feelings for an honest opinion about what I thought about the issues that had come to my mind. It was when I was trying to figure out how I felt about society's portrayal of sexuality and my thoughts that it dawned on me. Sexual freedom has nothing to do with who should get married legally, sexual orientation or gender or any of the other labels and names that are related to society's need to categorize everything.
Sexual freedom is the comfort level inside YOU, how you think and relate to your own feelings on sexual openness. I found my sexual freedom about 6 years ago--now I proudly own my freedom! Of course, with the new label I can also say that my freedom has been nicely categorized. How did I come by this realization? By taking a good hard look at the growth of my personal sexuality and comfort level with being a sexual person.
When I finally made the decision to revel in my sexuality, to enjoy all the new feelings, to discover everything I possibly can about my sexual preferences and fetishes and to be proud and try all the new ideas and fantasies I can come up with--that is when I got my sexual freedom. However, it wasn't until now that I realized that after being so open with my sexual thoughts and feelings for so long--I am a proud owner of my sexual freedom and all the benefits that come along with discovering that freedom.
Every single person has the ability to find and gain their own freedom. The only thing stopping people are the issues clouding their thoughts and realizations about themselves. Once you strip away the layers of morality, society, legality and what others may interpret these word to mean, you will find...yourself. The cage trapping your freedom inside is within you and the thought patterns that freedom has to mean something brought about by an outside influence.
One of the most meaningful things I have ever read was a news article on an interview with a POW from the Vietnam War. He stated that although he was kept in a small cell that could have been a small part of Hell itself, and his captors demons of Satan, he was never a prisoner. I frowned, puzzled, until I read the next part of the interview. He told the reporter that he had freedom in his thoughts, hope and faith. That his physical being was trapped but who he was inside would always be free. And as long as he did not lie to himself or place outside influences and thoughts, his freedom would always be there.
In my opinion, that man is a genius. It took being a captive many years ago to come up with the one lesson we all need to learn, your freedom is found within...