I Shrugged

So a particular individual today expressed some unwarranted opinions regarding my relatively "conservative" social norms, which placed me in a defensive posture. I have a general question: Why do people demand justification from an individual who may approach social circumstances differently? People react in varying degrees to social propositions offered in a given setting. The majority will usually leap at the offer, perhaps in fear or maybe because it’s simply the majority; but a few may not be comfortable in participating in a specific form of social conduct. The point is, what's it to anyone why one chooses a particular course of action? Further, why demand an explanation?

Personally, I don’t ask anyone about their choices; really, I don’t even care what they do. Indeed, I never solicit their opinion about my actions in the first place. Yet for some reason, people feel compelled to impose their understanding and expectations of how things should be against the backdrop of my choices. It's not advice; it's more like insurance for their self-esteem. If people are that troubled by my unimposing social choices, perhaps they need to check their premises about themselves.

I stand my ground, come what may.