Orientation or Lifestyle?

[roddy9uk]

I think it is a shame that we all tend to put ourselves in to "little boxes". Frankly I am an individual. Maybe it is a human trait that we all feel the need to "belong" and, if we don't fit in to a group as "normal", we feel obliged to define ourselves as belonging to ANOTHER group where we WILL be regarded as "normal".

There seems a contradiction in this in that society, as others have pointed out, expects various groups to behave in various ways (Men to be aggressive..women to be romantic..etc etc) and to some degree by defining ourselves as belonging to a "group" we self-fulfill these demands of society by seeking to behave in a way that conforms to our chosen group rather than in the way we perhaps like to. We make ourselves fit the group rather than find a group that genuinely fits us. For those who like classical allusions it is a veritable Procrustean bed.

Personally I am totally normal except where I am not..:) I don't think or act like a male, a female, male-gendered. female-gendered or any other group. I think and act like MYSELF. I don't have any problems fitting into society in general because I don't look for problems to have. I look around me and at 57 I don't see anyone especially happier or sadder with their life because they belong to a group I don't belong to. If there is a secret to life I would pass on it is to not worry about "conforming" for the sake of it. As long as what you do, what you like, does not harm anyone then be happy with who you are and don't try and match up to some vague "pattern" that others demand.

If the internet can tell us anything of value it is this. There will always be someone else like you in the world and always someone else different to you. You may call yourself something..they will understand something different to that which you mean. They may call themselves different to you but as likely as not they are just the same in many ways. Vive la difference.

Orientation or lifestyle? Who cares..as Popeye said.."I am what I am". Love me, hate me, like me,despise me..but you cannot categorise me..thank heavens.

roddy

[selfunit]

For me, Sex was a non-issue. Growing up I never had those types of magazines because I'd rather spent my money on my hobbies and money was not all that plentiful. Also, I knew if you were either male of female you owned a specific type of "equipment", I never had the desire to check it out while growing up. In my late twenties I decided to give the S-thing a try but did not even finish it with the two partners (Seperate times--2 years) I had been involved with. No great loss, I was just not in to it and I haven't looked back since then. Adding to my makeup, I am Androgyne so that kind of takes over the sexual orientation thing as well. I am content with the way things have worked out although it took a very long time to reach this plateau and now I wonder where I'm suppose to go from here, I would like a male PLP and live in a warm climate but methinks that I may be asking for the Moon. This is still new for me and I'm assembling the parts, I know what I want but wonder if it is achiveable. I am 58 and in good shape but its not like being 38 so I figuring how to make this work.