Power Sharing Agreement

What we don't learn to do for ourselves, 
we ask, often indirectly, 
for others to do for us.

To be our surrogate mothers
to be our surrogate fathers
our surrogate caregivers
doing things for us
fixing things for us
as if they ought to
while we get to play the incompetent child
while it suits us to do so


and yet,


we will hate them for that very same reason
when they treat us like incompetent children
and patronise and parent
when we don't want them too


and there will never be equality between all of us 
coexisting humanoids
while there is always someone looking to someone else
to do something that they could learn to do for themselves


and if we become the do-er, the fixer, the dish washer, the cleaner


we steal the opportunity for an individual to learn to do that thing -
even if they decide never to do it


we glue ourselves into roles;
the role of the martyr, who must over-function
on behalf of their childish partner


we become the bitter victim
who reluctantly and hatefully performs tasks
that the other person won't do and
that we know we can do better

and we will claim that we get nothing out of it
after all, if they don't do it, who will??


And so it is, that we are often responsible for the vulnerability we feel in this economy; in this exchange of power. We put ourselves voluntarily at the mercy of an other.

Empowering ourselves, or surrendering our powers. 
Playing the parent, or playing the child.
Becoming the tyrant or the martyr.