Are You Entitled to Validation?

Yes or No

Photo by Franck on Unsplash

We all want to be seen. We all want to be heard. We all want to be validated. That’s human.

But here’s the question…

Are other people obligated to validate your every belief, choice, or identity claim?

Yes or No.

If yes, then please explain on what grounds.

Is it fair, reasonable, or proper to base our demands or expectations of others on our needs or desires?

If so, how does that work?

If not, then where do we draw the line?

When does respecting someone’s dignity and humanity overlap — or conflict — with affirming their worldview or how they live?

That’s the tension we’re living in right now.

One person’s “validation” may feel like another person’s coerced agreement. One person’s need to be affirmed might collide with another’s freedom of thought, conscience, or speech.

So how do we navigate that? How do we balance the very real human need for belonging with the equally real human need for honesty and freedom?

These are questions worth asking — because the way we answer them will shape what kind of society we’re…