This chill Saturday morning, after walking 4.39 km to clear my head, I did some research about Emancipation.

By the way, I do research on everything. I like to have a different perspective from mine.

Google defines Emancipation as the ending of the legal authority that a parent has over a child who is under 18.

After emancipation, a parent does not have to take care of their child or pay for things that they need.

Emancipation changes your life.

You will have some new rights and also some new responsibilities.

Your rights as an emancipated person include:

Your responsibilities as an emancipated person include:

I am sure there are others on the list, but these are the few that stay at the top.

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery,” was part of a speech delivered by Black rights activist Marcus Garvey in Sydney Nova Scotia in 1937. 

Mental slavery is a slavery that the individual inflicts upon himself.

An example of mental slavery is conformity. This is when a person does not have the moral stamina to stand alone in his/her convictions.

It happens when we can’t decide what we want for ourselves, either because we are used to someone else making that decision for us, or because we are in a state of decision paralysis.

Mental paralysis occurs due to PTSD developed after a traumatic situation, a stressful situation, or dealing with a toxic person, or living in a toxic place.

The longer we stay in a state of mental paralysis, the less likely we are able to build our moral stamina.

If we can’t build our moral stamina, we conform, and that is mental slavery.

Types of Conformity

Compliance / Acquiescence

This is when an individual finds themselves in a position where they publicly agree with the group’s decision yet privately disagrees with the group’s consensus.

True Conformity / Private Acceptance

This is when an individual publicly and privately agreeing with the group’s decision. They change their beliefs and attitudes to match the majority.

Convergence

This is when an individual agrees with the group’s decision from the outset and thus does not need to shift their opinion on the matter at hand.

Now, let’s take a look at the opposite of conformation.

An individual who does not conform to the majority can display independence/ dissent. This is unwillingness to bend to group pressures.

When you stay true to your personal standards instead of swaying toward group standards, you are a non-conformist.

How I got myself emancipated from mental slavery:

1. I started challenging my own thinking.

2. I started to pay attention to my emotions and my thoughts.

3. I started praying for discernment to recognize when my thoughts and actions are fueled by my ego.

4. I started becoming aware of the effect certain people, places, things, and words have on me.

5. I started to recognize my own biases and weaknesses and started to accept that I am very flawed.

6. I did not let myself stay down simply because I was flawed.

7. I started to meditate and listen to positive affirmations.

8. I began to take a step back whenever I felt like having or giving an opinion.

9. I began to engage more in activities I enjoyed as a little girl.

10. I stopped treating people like they are children and accepted that every adult is capable of handling their affairs, including myself.

11. I pray to God for the renewal of my mind every morning.

12. I cut off people who don’t respect my autonomy.

13. I stopped doing things to impress or build my public perception.

14. I started going to therapy.

15. I started taking my time to reflect before making decisions.

A step towards the right direction was all I ever needed, even in times when I question my reality and my motives.