Why do we feel this urge to classify and compartmentalize just about everything?
I was thinking about how we put others and ourselves into group definitions. Blacks, whites, Native Americans, Orientals, etc., etc. Tall, short, thin, fat. This religion, that religion, no religion, gay, lesbian, straight, whatever.
Of course all of these categories and more do exist but what of it? Do any of them really define who we are?
I think not.
Not only do I think not, I strongly object because each and every category limits our full potential to develop as a person.
I chose the title "The End of Sexual Orientation" not because I don't believe there is such a thing. We all have our preferences. I chose it because I think we should stop making it something that defines something worth defining. It doesn't say much about a person. It ranks right up there (or should I say down there) with so and so has red hair or black hair. Who cares? Do you really care?
I hate the term "The gay community" for the same reason I would hate the term "The straight community." People who are gay are at least as diverse as people what are straight. Fact of the matter is that community is a word that defines a fantasy. Communities don't exist anywhere but in our foolish minds. We use the word to exclude as much as we use it to include.
This problem of defining people by one, blanket commonality shows itself in politics as much as anywhere. It is why we have a congress that has become dysfunctional. Republicans vs. Democrats. If you are one or the other you are supposed to think one way or the other and vote the party line. You give up your right and duty to think clearly and independently.
See what I'm getting at? It's all nonsense. It's a refusal to think on your own. You become trapped by words and sometimes find yourself excluding yourself from those you actually have more in common than with those in your so called community. This can be said of any race, creed, nationality or sexual orientation. It can also be said of economic status and levels of education.
How brave are you? Are you brave enough to love someone who belongs to one or more of the communities you have allowed yourself to be boxed into?
I was thinking about how we put others and ourselves into group definitions. Blacks, whites, Native Americans, Orientals, etc., etc. Tall, short, thin, fat. This religion, that religion, no religion, gay, lesbian, straight, whatever.
Of course all of these categories and more do exist but what of it? Do any of them really define who we are?
I think not.
Not only do I think not, I strongly object because each and every category limits our full potential to develop as a person.
I chose the title "The End of Sexual Orientation" not because I don't believe there is such a thing. We all have our preferences. I chose it because I think we should stop making it something that defines something worth defining. It doesn't say much about a person. It ranks right up there (or should I say down there) with so and so has red hair or black hair. Who cares? Do you really care?
I hate the term "The gay community" for the same reason I would hate the term "The straight community." People who are gay are at least as diverse as people what are straight. Fact of the matter is that community is a word that defines a fantasy. Communities don't exist anywhere but in our foolish minds. We use the word to exclude as much as we use it to include.
This problem of defining people by one, blanket commonality shows itself in politics as much as anywhere. It is why we have a congress that has become dysfunctional. Republicans vs. Democrats. If you are one or the other you are supposed to think one way or the other and vote the party line. You give up your right and duty to think clearly and independently.
See what I'm getting at? It's all nonsense. It's a refusal to think on your own. You become trapped by words and sometimes find yourself excluding yourself from those you actually have more in common than with those in your so called community. This can be said of any race, creed, nationality or sexual orientation. It can also be said of economic status and levels of education.
How brave are you? Are you brave enough to love someone who belongs to one or more of the communities you have allowed yourself to be boxed into?
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