In spite of my preferred orientation, I'm definitely not Leopold looking for my Wanda. I'm exploring this side of my personality because it's been a part of me for almost as long as I can remember. However, for me, being compliant is not the same as being a fawning syncophant. I'm too smart for that :-)
I've always been curious about a great many things and I realize that life is a continuous learning process. How and why things work continues to fascinate me. That's why my television viewing interests tend toward documentaries, science programs, history shows, etc. I've come to realize that the more things you know, the more you realize what you don't know. (Ignorance is bliss...)
Yet, why people are attracted to the things they are attracted to remains a mystery. But "the soul wants what the soul wants".
Though generally compliant, I can be very obstinate. But defiance and submission are at the heart of any power exchange.
To obey or not to obey, that is the question.
Submission requires a sublimation of your own ego and a tacit acceptance of the values of the dominant. Therefore, I must concur with their values for submission to be possible.
Life is about both satifying yourself and serving others. If everyone took the selfish attitude that all that matters is "me", then nothing would ever get accomplished and society would trend toward anarchy. On the other hand, slavish devotion to authority stamps out free thought and creativity and while it may lead to a stable society, there is a tremendous human cost. Progress is best accomplished by with a modicum of chaos (free will) restrained by the rules of others (obediance).
A person who can obey someone else without question is not a thinking person; they are a slave; they are an extension of someone else's mind. I could never be that person. I am too independent in thought and will and mind. However, life's purpose is probably best served if I do allow myself to submit occasionally.
For example, if everyone was so independent that they stopped working (i.e. providing services for others), the world would fall apart. If everyone stopped following the rules and laws of society, chaos would ensue. Therefore, obediance is important.
But is it always important? Defiance is an important test of validity of rules. Just because there is a rule doesn't make it correct. Certainly, it is hard to defend the fairness of segregation and apartheid laws.
