Prisons

"May the outposts of Gor thrive! They have value not only in themselves, but, too, as sanctuaries for life and meaning. Let them continue to be “safe houses” for the mind. " ~JN,2000

One of the strongest bonds that ties Goreans to each other is the knowledge that there are others who share our beliefs. Beliefs which fall outside the current "Politically Correct" views of society.

What caused this Politically correct, gender-neutral society of sameness that we see now? People caused it by "going along." By being afraid to make waves. By being willing to stifle their individual thoughts and feelings in an effort to "fit in" with the herd.

Goreans, as Norman envisioned them, were the antithesis of this very thing. His Goreans did not just "go along." They stood proudly for the things they believed in. Willing to stand up against the herd and say "No!"

"How rare is the truly dissenting voice, and how perilous the consequences of its utterance." John Norman himself is viewed as one of those "dissenting voices."

Unfortunately, what has happened to the Gorean community is that while striving to live outside the parameters of political correctness, we seem to have created a society of "Gorean correctness."

Once again, we have a society peopled by those who only wish to "fit in." To go along with the herd. While it is human nature to want to belong to a part of something, is it really necessary to compromise your integrity to gain that? To say what you think people wish to hear instead of what your heart tells you is true? To agree when you do not believe it?

The primary reason I write and post is to give voice to the things that inspire me to think. My hope is that it will cause others to do the same.

To think.

You don't have to think like I do. Tell me what you think. If you disagree, be willing to stand up and say so and be prepared to back that up with solid reasoning. Perhaps I am wrong. If so, convince me. Or perhaps I can find the words to convince you. Or perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Either way, there will be some further understanding found in the process.

Do not swallow your thoughts and opinions in an effort to "fit in" with the crowd. To do so, is to deny your own self. Because every time you do that, every time you disagree or question something, but remain silent, you add another brick to the walls closing in on us.

Once those walls are built, we have lost. We will have only moved from the confines of political correctness... to the prison of our own making.... Gorean correctness.

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Originally published in 2001.