Surrendering All

A man comes into a woman’s office and presents a contract for employment. He explains, "The terms are not negotiable. Your options are to either sign and adhere fully to the terms, or to decline. The company doesn’t need you, nor will it consider changing it’s expectations or terms to suit you, but will consider accepting you if you wish to pursue this opportunity."

The terms of the contract are laid out fairly simply: the woman would cease to have any rights, and he would have the ultimate power in her life until he decided to release her from the agreement. The terms of the contract might be subject to change at his whim, but the power structure would always be consistent: she would have none, he would have all.

No matter how attractive the offer was, no matter the emotional bond the woman might develop with her employer, certain things might be considered before agreeing to a situation where she no longer has rights. The woman has a great deal to consider... it is not an instantaneous decision. It requires a great deal of soul searching and self honesty.

The primary consideration might be to determine under what circumstances the contract could be terminated. She might consider discovering what would be expected of her or rather, what *might* be expected of her, once she agreed to the terms of this agreement. She might explore all options, including: Does she trust the other person enough to place his will above her own in all things, and place her life in his hands?

Surrendering everything encompasses so much that might not initially be apparent when faced with the opportunity. It would appear essential to really get to know the person who was controlling the power of the relationship. After all, his ideas, ethics and morals would now be guiding the woman’s life. The woman might ask about issues which she considered to be important and would find it difficult to relinquish control of- i.e., would she be allowed to worship a higher power of her own choosing, expected to convert, or forbidden to worship at all? How would her existing children (if any) be treated and taken care of? How would the topic of future children be handled? Would she be given the privilege of maintaining current beliefs, such as being a vegetarian?

Would she be able to still fulfill with the terms of the contract if any emotional investment she has now with the person she was signing over all rights to no longer exists? What medical coverage might she be provided in the case of an illness? Not all people agree with when to pursue medical treatments or how to handle chronic illnesses... it would be wise to find that out beforehand.

What happens if she works for them, surrenders her earnings and possessions, and finds herself released once she is past the age of retirement? What benefits or pension, or lack thereof? Would she be expected to pursue a different career, or maintain the position she has now?

Every aspect the woman might consider, she should, as honestly as she can. Even the hidden clauses or things that she thinks would never happen to her should be looked at because she should not want to place herself in a situation where she cannot live up to the terms on which she consented. She would need to make sure this is a situation she could handle, even in a worst case scenario, if the woman believes in personal accountability for her last choice that mattered. Perhaps the most important of all considerations: could she truly surrender all, not only in name, but with every fiber of her core?

Since she has no negotiating power in this situation, she would then be faced with the choice of accepting it on the terms described, or walking away. We often hear of people saying "Take the time to get to know the person" and "Know who’s steel you beg" but still... we watch girls hop into collars and commitments that might be taken a little more seriously if the full implications were realised, instead of the girl later wondering why she placed herself in situations where she might fail. Relying on "well, my Master would never do that..." doesn’t make one bit of difference when he has every right to do something, regardless of whether he chooses to exercise that right or not. Getting to know him as well as possible would only minimize the risk of something unexpected happening, the rest is knowing whether the slave can handle whatever comes as a result for her placing herself in that situation with that particular man. Slaves are not exempt from accountability, even if the reason is "I was blinded by my belly and my love."

While it is so easy to feel overwhelmed by the burning of love or deep rooted desire need to please someone... the emotions can often be blinders when considering the full scope of ownership. Saying "Anything for you, my Master." or thinking that she will do anything for him, because she loves him so... well, "anything" can at times very different than originally thought with stars in her eyes. This girl was told once to consider very seriously whether could she serve him as devotedly and completely if she did not love him, because if her emotions changed, it didn’t mean he would necessarily release her. Her service would not be based conditionally on whether she loved him or not, although love could certainly deepen her emotional service to him.

One of the hardest things for kaylee was to swallow the yearning she felt to look within and search her soul. She had to be absolutely honest with herself as to whether she could possibly fulfill his expectations for property, not only desired to fulfill them, but had the capability to do so. Otherwise, she would only end up failing in the long run. However, the same soul searching provided her with the confidence to know she has looked at the entire situation, considered how she would respond to various worst case scenarios, and knows she is ready to handle whatever comes as a result of her educated decision.

Why on earth would she consider ownership any less rationally than any woman signing away her rights to someone else?

With warm wishes to all,

Gabriel’s kaylee

Gabriel and kaylee write a monthly column about issues pertaining to the lifestyles of Goreans on Earth. Questions, comments, and suggestions or requests for topics can be addressed to Gabriel@gor-on-earth.com