I am not a writer in any classical definition of the term; English literature was not my first love at school, poetry didn’t particularly move me and growing up I preferred a more visual approach to storytelling.
I occasionally wish upon a star, in the hopes that maybe I will be a more consistent writer; some days I have two or three ideas and on others the tank of inspiration runs dry. Although through an unsuspecting conversation, a spark of inspiration was ignited and I realised something quite profound:
You don’t need to have an opinion on everything.
But before I can take you forward, I must take one step back; during my most recent social gathering someone asked me “So what do you think about Caitlyn Jenner?” and using my remaining brain cells to search for an answer I replied “I don’t.”
A little perplexed, my social acquaintance probed me further “Y’know? That guy who wants to be a woman?” Try as I might the only answer I could offer to ease the question was “I just don’t know.”
However in that moment of exhaustion, I began to feel a warm glow of empowerment from within. The realisation that I don’t need an opinion on a subject I know nothing about literally made me feel lighter.
To my limited understanding a transgender person is an individual that feels at their core they identify with the opposite gender. I support anyone who wants to take a step closer to being an authentic representation of themselves, I am just not well versed enough in the issues of transgender to really speak about it any great detail. That’s not to say I believe you must go through a similar experience to relate to one, however the issue of transgender is a very particular and personal one.
I was a very shy and awkward adolescent, who attended an all-male single sex school. Despite my lack of exposure to the opposite sex, disinterest in football and love of the original 1983 Weather Girls classic “It’s Raining Men” I never questioned my sexuality, even if at the time I never thought I’d actually be able to utilise it. It is unimaginable to me that anyone would feel trapped in their own body. I mean how to you even begin to find the strength to deal with that!?
Just how difficult is it to find a gender identity in a world where men are increasingly embracing their feminine qualities and vice versa?Regardless of whether you believe its nature or nurture, you have to admire anyone who is willing to redefine the boundaries of social acceptance under constant ridicule and scrutiny.
So at this point you might say “Well why didn’t you just give this answer rather then retreat to the loving arms of the WordPress community!?”
That is a good question, obviously I have since had time to reflect; however sometimes you have to make a small stand and attempt to be the change you want to see in the world. I don’t ever want to feel compelled to give a response if I don’t have one. Whether it be in social situations or through social media, increasingly people feel that they must have “something to say” however if on occasion you don’t feel you have enough knowledge on a particular subject to warrant an opinion its okay to say:
I just don’t know.
Until next time
“However in that moment of exhaustion, I began to feel a warm glow of empowerment from within. The realisation that I don’t need an opinion on a subject I know nothing about literally made me feel lighter.”
I never thought about it that way. I always feel embarrassed when I don’t have an answer to a question I’m asked. Maybe I should consider not answering as well. It does seem like it would feel quite empowering not to sputter out whatever minor dribble you happened to have gleaned on the topic from radio/tv/etc. when you weren’t even fully paying attention.
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Yes Phoenix, its just nice to know that you don’t have an answer, but even greater to know that you’re okay with that!
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Very interesting… I never thought about it that way. In the environment I was raised in I was always taught to be able to tell what’s “right” from “wrong” and therefore built this idea that I have to develop a concrete/strong opinion about whatever issue came my way.
Truth be told, sometimes people ask for my opinion on subjects I am vaguely familiar with or that can’t be judged so easily and I can’t help but think “well… I don’t know.” I think that to some extent, as people, we will always lean a little bit toward some side of the issue but I it is okay to be unsure and question our initial reactions/thoughts. Like you said, you don’t have a problem with transgender people, so it seem that you kinda lean towards that side of the “controversy” but you aren’t really sure what to make of it, and I think that you are right in that; we don’t need to be sure about everything or know everything. Sometimes it’s okay to leave some issues a mystery.
This inspires me to think: how far can you go with this until reaching ignorance and is ignorance really bliss?
haha I’m sorry if I rambled on too much. I really enjoyed reading this, I feel inspired. Thank you!
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