WOES OF INDEPENDENT THINKING.

Its nerve wracking how people want you to toe the line which they reckon 'best' for you and find it offensive how you would not do your things the way they do. The only way they can accommodate you is if you fit their standard of doing things. Such are the kind that battle with the psyche, a battle of different sort without banners or archers but no less fierce. Fighting seemingly dicerned flaws and 'less than perfect' personality, difficult past , hurt or sometimes just for the sake of pride and ego.
Riding a matatu home recently, i witnessed an argument between two passangers whom you could tell were acquainted to each other. The man, who was no spring chicken, asked the lady what foreign language she would prefer learning. The lady promptly answered french and even before explaining why, the man interjected refuting her choice as 'commonplace' and that she should do german. The lady tried explaining that her passion was in taking french but the man would hear none of it. He went on and on causing a stir until the lady accepted under duress that she would do german.
Whatever his reasons were, the man should have known that there is a difference between advising someone on what to do and constraining them to do it.
Tensions arise in society because people, perhaps those close to us, family or mates seem to force us to adopt a behaviour that we are not at all willing to and criticize us when we make a stand of our own. You are branded 'a very opinionated person' which is supposed to get you hot under the collar. We are afraid of giving alternative ideas because it is termed as defying time-honoured practises some of which are outdated. There is also the 'mkubwa' syndrome where holding divergent views from the person(s) higher in rank than you are is utter rebellion because might is right. Advancing such puppetism makes us be at conflict with self because we are not living in allignment with whom we trully are.
It is upto us however to decide whether we will negotiate our independence gently or tear ourselves free from this domination.