| One meaning to being a submissive is about compliance. This may be
the biggest difference between simply living with someone who tends to take the lead and living
with "a Dominant" as his Sub or Slave. We all comply with things, we all comply with other people's
demands (if in doubt about that, consider police prosecutors, judges, jail, and the law) but only a
lifestyle sub/slave will be expected to always obey their partner's commands.
Perfect compliance is never possible in natural life - even the armed forces don't manage that in the
relatively narrow spheres within which they work. Compliance is an acceptance that even though something
may not make sense at the time, even though it may be inconvenient or difficult, it is something that
should be done simply because it is asked / commanded / expected / required.
We all make internal decisions about what we will comply with, and what we won't; this is normal, and
almost certainly healthy, though the grounds for such decisions is often unknown or irrational. When one
considers compliance issues like school homework, drinking age, road speed limits, social or sexual
customs, fidelity ... it is clear that most people pick and choose, often upon little conscious moral or
ethical basis. Such choices are not the distinguishing marks of dominance or submission: few people would
consider a soldier to be submissive just because he has a high level of compliance in his work.
Sometimes we comply with people out of the fear of doing otherwise (e.g., the police), sometimes out of
ingrained habit (e.g. parents - though at some point this can dwindle), and sometimes from love (like
when your partner asks you to make a cuppa). We might also comply because we want to (e.g., "let's go
out tonight") but that has nothing to do with subservience.
In a free country, compliance is not unique to a submissive. Compliance to a Dominant partner's
instructions is unique and is one thing that defines a submissive. |
