Pride is liberation

But liberation isn’t always solely about identity.  For me, it’s greater than that. 

Pride has, this month, been about allowing myself to be more authentic to myself.

I have tolerated far less, in terms of bullshit, impositions, and other nuisances of life than I normally would.

Pride is, this month, about embracing the life that I actually want to live, rather than accepting a present reality that has been slowly killing me from the inside out.

I refuse to live life on others’ terms and, even if many would consider this to be selfish, I have no space to be selfless when I constantly place myself in situations where I am simply expected to lose myself. 

I can no longer tolerate doing work that counter my values,

Tolerate people who never wanted to understand me,

Tolerate situations that I cannot consent to.

I no longer wish to be part of a world that expects me to accept harsh realities that could be changed with a little bit of hard work and empathy.

Instead, I choose to put in the hard work and the empathy necessary for a better world.

I choose to believe that others can understand, while staying true to myself.

I choose to believe that I no longer need to stomach “culture fit” for a living and lose my sanity.

Pride, this month, is about liberation, not just of my identity but, ultimately, about my true self.