Boundaries

A part of growing up is the creation of boundaries. I find this concept interesting and refer to physical boundaries, let's say fences for example. British settlers in Australia in the 18th century referred to the Indigenous Aborigines as not having fences to mark land. The Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders did not NEED fences or boundaries as there was mutual synergy between people and the community; a pure relationship where people truly loved one another in their community and everything else followed, trust, respect etc.

Unfortunately, the reality of society today is far different. We cannot leave our front doors and cars unlocked for the most part. We need boundaries as people otherwise, will take advantage. Even with locked doors, encrypted phones and computers, our safety and privacy get compromised.

Going back to this concept of personal boundaries which are intangible in comparison to the above... I believe tangible and intangible boundaries have similar core essences; without boundaries, there will be more harm than good. Like everything life, it is fickle. I still believe that every single person on this planet deserve good, and have good within them. One person may have more obstacles obscuring said 'good'. But who is to judge what is 'good' anyway? It is relative. Then why do we need boundaries? I believe boundaries we needed as we do not have infinite patience, infinite time, infinite resources. We are limited by 24 hours in a time, we are limited to certain mental fortitude. Of course, we can stretch certain thresholds but we are limited to how much effort and fuel we have within. I think this is similar to the 'EQUALITY vs EQUITY' argument. Equality is naive. It doesn't fit for all. One solution doesn't fit for all. Our energy cannot be used equally to everything and everyone.

In this life, we should be selective. We should have boundaries and that's okay. This is not to dismiss kindness and understanding towards others. But do so with boundaries. Do so, so that you CAN be kind and understanding to others. If you apply one form of kindness and understanding to all, it will not be sustainable and you alone will be unhappy, burnt out and unkind to your own self.