Bob Young@fifonetworks@infosec.exchange
“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”
A long, long time ago, when Twitter still existed and was a useful platform, that was one of my tweets.
“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”
But someone misunderstood it. Someone I didn’t even know, and who didn’t follow me, retweeted it and said something about it being the most outrageous example of white privilege and arrogance they had ever seen.
No, that’s not what it means.
It means that all instructions I receive are run through the filter of my personal values, morals, and – yes – desires.
I’m never the victim who does something because my boss told me I had to. If my boss tells me to do something, and I do it, it’s because I told myself: “That’s okay, do what your boss said to do.”
“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”
I outrank every person in authority. I always have final say over my own behavior.
I encourage you to take this authority for yourself.
Wherever you go, you’re in charge.
My detractor interpreted my statement as meaning I thought I was the authority over everyone else. No. I’m the authority over me.
Having final authority – having the power to say yes or no – can land you in jail, or result in physical danger. It can destroy friendships. It can mean looking for a new job.
It also gives you a heady feeling of finally being in control, of no longer being victimized. It is the end of manipulation. It is freedom. It is independence.
Say it to yourself. Mean it.
“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”