I Like My Way Better

by Jeffe Kennedy

I really wanted to lead with a Borg picture, in honor of Assimilation week. But I felt I should save the "you will be assimilated" moment for one of my sister whores.

I've spent much of my life fighting assimilation. For a number of reasons, not all of them good ones.

First off, I'm stubborn by nature. The family line about me is "I like my way better." This stemmed largely from me being a voracious reader and learning new words without hearing them spoken. I decided on pronunciation and, when corrected, would respond with... yes, well, now you can come to one of our family dinners.

I pretty much like my way better on everything.

Oh, I've grown up and discovered I often have to do things other peoples' ways. Work, school, organizations. To get along, to be successful, you have to do things their way. But, I found a work-around. I'll do it their way, but inside? It's still my way.

I went to a good college, sterling education, but I didn't go to the ones everyone else wanted me to. I picked a fairly obscure private, liberal arts college. I pledged a sorority - but the wayward one, that wasn't so popular. Pre-med was my course of study, as it should be for any good little smart girl, but I double-majored with religious studies and added a theater minor.

At this point in my life, I can pretty much dress the part, talk the talk, walk the walk. I finally, after some pain and much coaching, learned not to say everything I think. But inside my head? all subversive.

This is why I like the Hanged Man. He doesn't mean for me what he does for many people. I love how, if you turn the card upside-down, he looks like he's just standing there, relaxing. Normal guy. But, really, for him the world is upside-down. Inverted, reversed - not the normal thing at all. There's something to be learned from that, from doing things the other way, from a different angle.

Oh yeah, I'll take the Borg implants and track the hive mind.

But deep inside, I like my own way.

Much better.