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MONDAY, 22 JUNE 2026

Futility of control: Why we must embrace others' autonomy

GASTON DIAS, Sarzora
Published Mar 8
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In this modern world, we come across different types of people in our day-to-day lives ” from neighbours and domestic help to during academia, employment, and further when entering maternal life, where the family extends to spouse and in-laws, or even while living with our own parents as they grow older. We find it uneasy to control others' emotions with our thoughts.
This failing experience is something called "human behaviour" that is governed by individual autonomy, internal motivations, beliefs, emotions, legal rights, and neural processes that are not easily switchable by nature as humans. However nice one is by nature, we have to act like a diplomat, setting boundaries with precautions, staying balanced, and respecting their autonomy, having a humble choice while treating them with affection, although by nature our ego may try to implant a thought in a different context.
On the flip side, there are some who are matured or burnt by experiences, making them far more resistant to others controlling their emotions, and then we wisely agree that the only person who can control you is your own self. At times, even emotional manipulation doesn't work, and so we politely compromise, keeping our own emotions controlled and in check.
To conclude, what will benefit us from our thought of controlling others' emotions or grooming them against their nature of belief to be like us, even after an abundance of favours; their way of living will not change and so we should not grieve ” rather smiling, move on undefeated!

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