The O-town Scene

April 21, 2011

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/29770

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 19 of 31

Diversity Rules by Jim Koury Break free of self-imprisonment When we hear the word “entrapment” it is usually used in a legal context when the police lure an individual into doing something that they could ultimately be prosecuted for. Entrapment can also denote other things, such as an employer who lays traps for employees to trip over so they can be writ- ten up by superiors or steps taken to fire a particular employee. For the purpose of this article, the focus will be on “self-entrapment,” which can be much worse than be- ing entrapped by the police or small-minded employers. What do I mean by self entrapment? Our minds can be like prisons. Often we con- vince ourselves other people’s impressions of us are more important than who we truly are. The only crime involved in self- entrapment is the inability to become aware of one’s own innate potential and become the blossoming flowers we were meant to be. The inability to accept our realities can muddy up our in- dividual perception; we entrap Often we convince ourselves other people’s impressions of us are more important than who we truly are. ourselves into thinking we are of lesser value than others. We begin to lock ourselves into limits only cre- ated in the mind, thus ultimately creating feelings of loneliness, self-pity and anger. Those de- structive thoughts and behavior become a self- fulfilling prophecy. Living in the closet epito- mizes the definition of self- entrapment. We live within a facade of lies interwoven into what is real. We become so enmeshed in our fear of what other people think of us that we construct a separate world apart from the internal truth of who we are. We entrap ourselves in a bubble of self-denial and in the extreme case, self-destruction by suicide. Decide to break the shack- les of your self-entrapment. Break free from your self- imposed prison. Remove the roadblocks that are depriving you of your internal balance. Look in the mirror and make a decision that the person staring back at you is worth fighting for. Nurture your true poten- tial by putting yourself in situations that can help you realize that your self-imposed prison is just a veneer of mistruth keeping you from being the best you can be as an out and proud LGBTQ individual. Jim Koury was born and raised in Oneonta. He is a gay activist, and the city clerk of Oneonta, a position he has held for 18 years. He can be reached at editor@ diversityrulesmagazine.com. Trash Thursday with Katrina, 9 p.m. Merlin’s, 201 State St., Binghamton. College Night at Merlin’s, 8 p.m., 201 State St., Bing- hamton. College ID’s in free before 11 p.m. Rave and Glowstick Party, 9:30 p.m., Club Chill, 200 W. 5th St., Elmira. Strobe lights, black light and trance/electronica music. Glowsticks and T-shirt giveaways. Fri. 4/22 Color Me Streisand, 9 p.m., Twist Ultra Lounge, 252 West Genesee St., Syracuse. A Barbara Streisand tribute show. Southern Tier AIDS Walk/Run, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Recre- ation Park, Beethoven Street, Binghamton. Sat. 4/30 Equality and Justice Day in Albany, meet with legislators in their Albany offices to encourage their support for all bills promoting LGBT advancements toward equality. Sun. 5/8 Big Gay Cruise, Pride 2011, 11:30 p.m., JP Cruise Lines Dock, State and Front streets. Fri. 6/10 20 O-Town Scene April 21, 2011 LGBT Events Thurs. 4/21 the Diversity Scene April 21-27

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The O-town Scene - April 21, 2011