The Danger of Being Un-Boxed

Around the age of 18 or so (a LONG time ago :-)) I realized how much I despised being boxed in. I hated that people made assumptions about me or my lifestyle based on how I looked, or where I was from, or what college I attended, or what I wore. I think these experiences were the beginning of me rebelling against the notion of boxes. I have lived in that space for much of my life now: sometimes I do this; sometimes I do that; sometimes I am this; sometimes I am that. My encounters with others have strengthened my rebellion against the box. I find that there are some people who use boxes to avoid getting to know others, to justify hate or ill will, or simply to rationalize not taking risks. So for me boxes – cookie cutter ways of defining myself or another – have been bad. But recently I have been thinking about how my use of being un-boxed 🙂 may lead to a lack of commitment or consistency in some areas of my life. For example, I have been vegetarian off and on (yes, off and on) for over 20 years now. I have had periods such as when was a Peace Corps Volunteer or other sporadic years thereafter when I have completely abandoned a vegetarian diet altogether for one reason or another. Most often, I have stuck with a meat-free diet about 95% of the time, leaving room for allowances when I desired (yes, when I desired with no further need to rationalize). I have willingly and openly shared this practice with others, especially others considering going meat-free: encouraging them to start with just one meal, one day a week, one weekend or even one category of meat. I find that people – self included – can stomach major lifestyle changes when they are incremental versus extreme and abrupt. But I also find that existing in these sort of in-between spaces for too long foster a lack of consistency or commitment. Yes, it’s fine to transition to a meat-free diet and do so with caution. It is also highly encouraged to make modifications that fit one’s lifestyle. However, I became vegetarian for very specific reasons so why have I vacillated so much with my commitment?

The meat-free diet is but one minor example in the grand scheme of things (minor unless you are an avid anti-animal cruelty advocate or an environmentalist who studies the impact of meat eating on the environment). There are other examples of this same practice in my life – more personal examples, more harmful examples. I won’t disclose them in this blog post, but instead offer the question to you: what are the freedoms afforded and dangers incorporated in un-boxed spaces?