articles
China Elevator Stories
What I Am Not Obliged to Do
I know my rights and obligations, and taking care of you is not one of them.
22/04/2025
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
- I have no obligation to talk to you.
- I have no obligation to change my SELF so you can feel better about yourself.
- I have no obligation to put myself down and pretend I am less than I am.
- I have no obligation to tend to your needs or emotions.
- I have no obligation to share myself with you.
- I have no obligation to share anything with you.
- I have no obligation to allow you in my life.
- I have no obligation to tell you you’re a good-looking man.
- I have no obligation to allow you to rape me.
- I have no obligation to listen to your thoughts about anything.
- I have no obligation to become an extrovert.
- I have no obligation to “act as though I were confident” instead of being confident.
- I have no obligation to become a people pleaser because you can’t discern between what my rights are and what my obligations are not.
- I have no obligation to walk around with my head down, just so you can then shame me for being of a lower caste.
- I have no obligation to see you as intelligent when you are, in reality, dumb.
- I have no obligation to allow you to watch me go to the toilet.
- I have no obligation to show you how I look naked.
- I have no obligation to listen to your insignificant problems.
- I have no obligation to allow you in my space.
- I have no obligation to spend time with you.
- I have no obligation to allow you to continue your abuse in my presence.
- I have no obligation to share anything with you.
- I have no obligation to put you on a pedestal.
- I have no obligation to see you as anything but what and who you are.
- I have no obligation to talk—or to talk to you.
- I have no obligation to spend time with a racist man.
- I have no obligation to pay any attention to you whatsoever.
My obligation, as a truth teller, is being indebted to the truth: to live in truth, to see the truth, and then state the truth (only when necessary). Usually, this makes any narcissist immediately blow up. Ever said a simple sentence and a narcissist exploded—then made you out to be some kind of evil human being who wants to destroy narcissists?
Well, that’s what happens when a truth teller tells the truth. It can be a simple truth, a simple statement, never meant to provoke anyone. Usually, as truth tellers, we do so quite innocently—it’s simply how our brain is wired. Truth tellers don’t mean evil when they tell the truth. But narcissists usually can’t stand it when the truth is stated bluntly, openly, without any regard for anything but the truth. They like to keep up a façade—a false image of who they are—not allowing you to point out the emperor is naked when he is, but needing to pretend he is wearing beautiful, shiny clothes.
The truth is always beautiful.
I enjoy it when people can tell the truth. I enjoy truth tellers of all walks of life. I don’t enjoy brainwashed children—they are usually too dumb to talk to (sorry for being so blunt).
But truth tellers are awesome. I can listen to them for hours and days.
How about you?