Reclaiming Autonomy: A Woman's Manifesto (A Work in Progress, Part 1)

MANIFESTO: n. A public declaration, usually of a sovereign or person claiming large powers, showing intentions and motives; [a statement of such a policy].

AUTONOMY: n. The quality or state of being autonomous; right of self-government; a governing-state.

SELF-REALIZATION: n. Fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality.

SELF-POSSESSION: control or command over one's powers; self-command; presence of mind; composure.

SELF-IDENTITY: The identity of a thing with itself; identity of subject and object in life and consciousness.

SELF-EXAMINATION: Examination into one's own state, conduct and motives; introspection.

SELF-DETERMINATION: Determination of one's acts by oneself without external compulsion.

INDIVIDUAL: Not divisible; one's own essence, inseparable, identical; arising from a distinct entity.

*INDIVIDUALISM: Individuality, personality. An individual peculiarity; idiosyncrasy. **Any doctrine or practice based on the assumption that the individual and not society is the paramount consideration or end; A theory maintaining that individual initiative, action, and interests should b e independent of government or *social control*. 

INDIVIDUATION: Process by which an individual develops his or its peculiar character. Personal or individual existence. The development of the individual from the universal; or the determination of the individual in general.

INDIVIDUATE: To endow with individuality.


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My name is Sylvia Lydia Morelos. I was born on April 20, 1974 at 4:29 a.m. in Westwood, Ca (UCLA Medical Center). I am a college graduate (UCLA --ha! I came full circle!), class of '03, and I have a BA in Latin American Studies. 

I have been going through a process of introspection and reflection. I have been feeling a lot. I have been coming to terms with some things (experiences mostly). Autonomy means a lot to me. In writing on Reclaiming Autonomy, I will be dividing this into a few sections: the meaning of autonomy, what it means to have autonomy and exercise it as a woman, and On Being 40 (Early Midlife Crisis?), and what my goals are from here. 

Reclaiming autonomy over:

• My OWN body rights
• My OWN faith or spirituality
• My OWN pain
• My OWN feelings
• My OWN thoughts
• My OWN space
• My OWN reproductive rights
• My OWN freedom
• My OWN finances
• My OWN property
• My OWN gun rights
• My OWN outlook on life
• My OWN foresight
• My OWN decisions
• My OWN relationships (friendships, family, etc.)
• My OWN intellectual property
• My OWN lifestyle
• My OWN livelihood.

I am a work in progress.