Control

There's a major "issue" in our clan these days. One of my cousins is going to get married this January. A lot of my relatives, especially her parents, are against this marriage. The guy has been her boyfriend for years, and they have been against the relationship from day 1, and they have been very vocal about it. Although I don't really know him, he seems like a nice guy. Her parents don't like him, and it's not because of the usual reasons. What gets their panties in a bunch is the fact that the guy has Tourrette's Syndrome.

Okay, I guess if she was my daughter, As much as possible I don't want her marrying a guy suffering from any ailment... especially if that ailment is hereditary. Her children would most probably suffer from the said syndrome. But who are we do dictate who are children should fall in love with? Love is not something you can force on anyone. Are parents meant to be breeders, the way people breed animals, to ensure that only the highest quality offsprings would result from each mating, and those with imperfections aren't allowed to breed in order to maintain the quality of our species? Can we actually treat people this way? Can we deprive certain individuals of their right to love, to marry, and have a family because they have undesirable traits?

Even my grandmother, even though she's not my cousin's grandmother, can't help but join the fun filled discrimination. She even points out that not only is he "abnormal", he's also just a call center agent, and therefore did not finish college. If I was unable to control myself, i would've lashed out that most call center agents would not be hired if they did not have a degree, and that such a job isn't as "low class" she thinks. Heck, a starting agent's salary is greater than a resident physician in most hospitals in this country. She's under the impression that those agents are minimum wage workers and cannot support a family. She even thinks the guy could be a moocher. Of course a lot of my relatives aren't saying it out loud, especially now that the wedding date is fast approaching. They put on those fake smiles whenever he's around, creating the impression that he's already accepted. But behind his back, the nasty talk intensifies exponentially. The consensus remains the same. I bet her parents are still secretly planning some way for the wedding to not push through. I'm sure some are even praying for a miracle. After all, a lot can still happen in less than three months.

Can't they give the guy some credit? The guy may have Tourrette's syndrome, and let's say he doesn't have a high paying job... so what? There has to be so much more about him. There has to be something about him that made my cousin look past all of his faults. There's surely something about him that made her love him so much that she's willing to fight for their love, even if her parents still disapprove it.

The urge to control seems to be inherent in this family. Why can't they just let us run our own lives?! We're not robots. They can't manipulate our thoughts and actions to their liking by simply pressing some remote control. they can't simply turn us off when we're not functioning properly. Enough with the BS that they're only doing what's best for us because we're still too young to see the big picture. Just because one is older does not necessarily mean that he or she is wiser. They wouldn't know what's best for us because they're not living our lives. They can't possibly know what it's really like to be in our shoes. No person in this world has the right to dictate how another person should live his or her life. No person in this world has the right to play God, no matter how "powerful", no matter how "perfect" he or she is.