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Debra Charych's avatar

"What is it that YOU want?" I remember the first time I was asked that question by a therapist. It was a puzzle to me. I am always more concerned about how my decisions will affect others. Am I doing the 'right' thing? How will it be perceived? Confrontation makes me sick to my stomach so I try to avoid it at all cost. Sigh...

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A CRONE WITH A BOTTLE. Or two.'s avatar

Another brilliant essay that gets at the heart of what it means to be human in the world.

What do we want? Not being violently pursued by people we have no interest in seems like a given (what a terrifying story!). Not being violated/ coerced/ manhandled/ manipulated/ guilted into submission is another. All those are things we don’t want. But actively wanting positive things (a soulmate, living in harmony with nature, not taking more than we give, a self-cleaning pool that magically is always 75 degrees and doesn’t need chemicals) takes courage and a certain amount of hubris for women conditioned by the 21st century who are aware of the privilege of being considered persons at all. All this to say: we’ve got a long way to go to catch up to the whims of the (White) men who made the rules to begin with.

Thank you for being here for it, Ally Hamilton.

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