A blindfolded man cuffed to a bedrail lays motionless, his lips parted in anticipation.
This picture is the one used by Wikipedia’s article on male submission. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before, but I really like it. I can feel a certain empathy with the model because his slightly parted mouth and his tense hands betray his excitement.
Having not actually seen the Wikipedia article about “male submission” before, I eagerly read through the short page but was disappointed to find that it was written in much the same One True Way® tone that most of the depressingly “pathetic” blogosphere uses for the topic of submissive masculinity. Although a valiant attempt, the article discussed “levels” of male submission and needlessly focused on activities and negative gender stereotypes such as “sissification.” So, of course, I made some edits to improve the article.
The 30 minutes or so that I spent revising the article may seem like too much wasted effort to some people at the same time that it may seem like too little effort to others. This observation highlights a beautiful thing: the freedom to define personal value. I spent exactly the time and effort I wanted to spend on the work—no more and no less—and therefore contributed and acquired exactly the value I wanted from the experience.
For me, 2009 was a year of massive personal upheaval, as though a wildfire swept through my life and left me fresh and raw. It hurt, but like all natural processes, it also provided an incredible opportunity for rejuvenation. Our lives, like Wikipedia pages, are instantly editable in whatever way we want, whenever we want, and have far-reaching impacts we can’t always see instantly. Now, imagine what kind of world we would inhabit in 2010 if you, your friends, and all the people who look up to you understood that their opportunities today, like mine, are greater than they’ve ever been before.