Does It Require A No?

Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works. ~Virginia Woolf

A group of writers were challenged to a Write In, Write Out Session. After free writing for an hour, Antoya Lee wrote this delectable piece that shows her talent waiting to be honed. Here I share:

What is Rape? Does it Require A “No?”

~Antoya Lee

If I push my beliefs, wants, and desires on you, and I succeed in having my way,                  should I be held accountable for my actions? If, my persistence made me successful in having my way but brought upon you harm and danger.

Or, should I be vindicated from my exploitation of your mind and body and be freed from punishment because of my intellectual ignorance?  My mind’s ability to reason and understand based on the knowledge or lack thereof, stored within my mind.

Hear, the words, that proceed as I speak.  Abuse and harassment, of any type: sexual, verbal, physical, mistreatment, recklessness, carelessness, ignorance and arrogance. Have you been impacted by such activities or behaviors? Were you the offender, or of your life, a victim of such social behaviors that are communicated amongst our social environment?

Sadly, were you an offender in any group or area of your social environment, where you mistreated, misrepresented yourself or something, in order to have your way and accomplish your desires and wants. Or, to support your beliefs and needs, with your friends, with your family, and coworkers, strangers and lovers, church or other group member affiliation.

Were you ever so persistent in having your way to the detriment of another                          against that person’s comfort and will?

Is rape or harassment just something sexual?

Or, could it be a form of social communication, verbally and physically, expressed in any type of social situation and setting amongst people in your social circle.

Could it be social manipulation, simply to accomplish one’s own disparate deeply desired wishes?

Not just sexual, but could rape simply, but greatly be social dysfunction, after all the offenses in every area of our lives that happened upon us, or we upon them.

I forgive you. Do you forgive me? Of social rape. Trying to have my own way.

My point: Lets be mindful of how we interact and how we share our habits with each other because rape is social contamination.

By Antoya Lee

Author: Dr. Shelly

Dr. Shelly Cameron is a leadership strategist, author, and executive coach dedicated to helping individuals uncover their purpose, elevate their leadership potential, and achieve meaningful success. She is the creator of the GreenLight Leadership Framework. As the curator of SuccessfulLeaders.net, Dr. Shelly shares insights drawn from her extensive experience in organizational development, human resources, and personal growth. She is passionate about empowering professionals to navigate change, manage stress, and design fulfilling lives through intentional goal setting, self-discovery, and continuous learning. Dr. Shelly's research on Success Strategies was published in the JAABC Business Journal. She is also the author of several books, including works on leadership, success, and cultural intelligence. View all posts by Dr. Shelly