Yes, you want to hurt me

I often wonder if the invisibility of mind and soul is responsible for so much of hatred in the world. How and when did our existence get defined by concrete physical boundaries and characteristics?

What we do is undoubtedly ruled by the mind, but there is a difference between the acts carried out for day-to-day survival, acts to maintain a social structure and decorum, and thoughts of the authentic self. How and when did the former acquire supreme importance, and the latter completely ignored?

It is not just about LGBTQ rights – virginity and monogamy have defined social structures in many societies for long. Offenders attract death penalty in certain countries.

Monogamy helps in establishing paternity, and paternity is important for inheritance rights. But this became the driving force behind sexism. How can one gender claim to have complete ownership rights over another, and treat them as a sum of body parts, rather than breathing, thinking individuals? Rape is a crime driven by a misplaced sense of power and lust, but a phrase like ‘boys will be boys’ can acquire universal acceptance. On the other hand, adultery on the part of a woman gets her branded for a lifetime.

yes, you want to hurt me
 yes, you want to make me cry
 it fills your hollowness
 but my tears are now dry
  
 I know my worth beyond you
 you’ll get respect - if you can give
 share a world if you can, or
 alone I know how to live