"A Personal Bill of Rights" - what do you think about this ?

[Mountainman]

One of the reasons I could never be a fundie or conservative is the need of others to force people to conform to their code of behavior. I got divorced long ago because my ex wife and her family were very controlling Catholics and I was going nuts trying to please them when I finally discovered that I would never be good enough for them and I needed to live my life as I saw fit. I left them and Ohio and moved to California.

I have been happily married for over 20 years now and one reason for that is because both my wife and I believe that we have to be free to live our lives as we see fit. Neither of us tries to change the other and we try to accept each other as we are.

That belief led us to reject the desires of her family for us to live close to them when we decided to move to the mountains were we now live. We decided that if we were to live our lives as we wanted we would have to say no to them. It wasn't easy because it strained relations.

One of the supportive things I found was this "Personal Bill of Rights." It is from a book by Edmund J Bourne, Ph.D. called "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook."

Here goes.

Personal Bill of Rights

1. I have the right to ask for what I want.
2. I have the right to say no to requests or demands I can't meet.
3. I have the right to express all my feelings, positive or negative.
4. I have the right to change my mind.
5. I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.
6. I have the right to follow my own values and standards.
7. I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready,
it is unsafe, or it violates my values.
8. I have the right to determine my own priorities.
9. I have the right to NOT to be responsible for others' behavior,
actions, feelings, or problems.
10. I have the right to expect honesty from others.
11. I have the right to be angry at someone I love.
12. I have the right to be uniquely myself.
13. I have the right to say "I'm afraid"
14. I have the right to say "I don't know"
15. I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.
16. I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.
17. I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time.
18. I have the right to be playful and frivolous.
19. I have the right to be healthier than those around me.
20. I have the right to be in a non abusive environment.
21. I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.
22. I have the right to change and grow.
23. I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others.
24. I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
25. I have the right to be happy.

I think that believing that we have these rights (especially the right to to make decisions based on my feelings)is one thing that sets liberals apart from social conservatives and for me it is the main reason I will always fight them for control of my own destiny.