The sheep stands alone
Let’s make a pact. I don’t tell you what to do and you don’t tell me what to do.
It’s called autonomy. Merriam Webster defines autonomy as self-directing freedom and especially moral independence.
Have you ever noticed that granting another autonomy is actually kind of hard to do. We all feel the urge to jump in and tell someone else what we think they should do. Don’t we?
Nothing irks me more. In fact, when someone begins telling me what they think I should do, the chances go up dramatically that I’ll do exactly the opposite (but that’s another post altogether).
Why is autonomy so difficult to grant? And why is autonomy so important to receive?
Granting someone autonomy promotes their abilities, their loyalty, their determination, and their self-reliance. The other thing it does is show respect.
Great parents, friends, teachers and leaders should inspire others to autonomous behavior. When you fail to grant autonomy the message you send sounds more like:
“I’m too selfish to give you what you deserve.” Or “I’d rather have a dependent person than one who is capable.”
The ‘I’ wins and the ‘you’ loses. It’s a selfish act.
People aren’t mindless sheep. When they are given independence and freedom to make their own choices and decisions they quickly figure out that they don’t have to remain in the flock they can be the sheep that stands alone.
