“No one can be authentically human while he prevents others from being so.” —Paulo Freire, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”
All of us go through life searching, for meaning or understanding, and we are trying to figure out who we are.
Sometimes, when we figure out who that is, our lives get turned upside down. Here is why we should celebrate people who come out.
Admitting Who You Are
As life goes on, you learn essentials. Information comes from all angles: school, family, friends, the Internet and books.
All of this slowly develops who you are. Sometimes you might not be prepared for it. You are living a worldly-approved, normal life with no intentions of veering.
Until you wake up one moment, and it all feels wrong.
You don’t know what will happen next, you just know that you can’t keep living this way.
Not Letting Others Change You
You have family, friends and people around you who know you, and they have a perceived idea of who you are. What if this revelation you have wrecks that? What if they don’t support you?
These concerns race through your head, quickly forming doubt. You don’t want to upset those you love. You don’t want to be the disappointment. Maybe you are wrong for assuming you are different.
You know this is the path for your life; it feels right to you. This decision will make you the happiest person in the world.
If people truly love you, they will support you. That’s what relationships are for: being loved for who you are the good, the bad and the ugly.
Having the Courage to Speak Up
Change is scary for everyone. It rips you from your comfort zone and pulls you into the unknown. It takes a great deal of courage to be able to change and to be okay with it.
You are someone to be cherished. Not many people have the courage or ambition to even want to change.
You are the captain of your life. This is no time to be a cowardly lion. Otherwise, someone else will come in and start telling you how to live.
Like at weddings , speak now or forever hold your peace.
You can be 16 and decide this is who you want to be, or you can be 40 and decide the life you’ve been living isn’t authentic to you.
All that matters is no longer living a lie about who you are.
Evaluating the Relationships That Matter
As much as this seems negative, this is a great experience! You don’t need people who aren’t fully there for you in your life, whether or not you changed. This experience will only help rid you of all the toxins you didn’t even realize were in your life.
“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a fake messiah.” — Richard Bach
Coming out can mean many things.
All are life experiences that require us to change and start living the truth.
We all should start embracing those who have coming-out experiences. Not because they need it, but because they are strong enough to say, “This is who I am.”
Mystical Entertainment Group is proud to support and respect everyone’s right to be who they are and love who they choose. Here’s to having, holding and marrying who you love!
Check out what our general manager, Mike did to give a better experience and change the game in gay wedding planning.