Social rules penetrate our lives so intensely and deeply that the thought of escaping them seems impossible and we are better off to simply foster compliance. But compliance breeds stagnation and acts against change.
It’s confusing that in a world where everything changes with such frequency we have all had to become specialized in our areas of interest, yet our social boundaries and laws appear to be static.
We need to recognize that we can change the parameters of social institutions through activity. To be active is to be in charge; to be passive is to be under control. Ask yourself if you are active in your identities and your decisions.
This active social role requires access to power and influence within groups that can apply reform to social codes. This is difficult because being active and committed to these goals often involves conflict, loss, and sorrow due to the pervasive passivity of society.
There will be those who have no interest, especially in changing a system that favours their ascribed and achieved identities. There will be those who fail to see the difference due to privilege or socialized traits that don’t allow the individual to overwrite their own social code. To be active is to expect a forfeiture of rights, privilege, and social ease.
I encourage everyone to take care in fashioning their social identities. Be conscious and active in your bundle of identities, your gender, sex, sexuality, ideologies, religious, spirituality, and so on. Embrace yourself, embrace others, and love and immerse yourself in the true diversity of society.