Stifled?

Society is built around customs and conventions. We grow up thinking that the things we learn and do are the right way.

Different is always dangerous because the average person is afraid of it. They don't recognize it immediately, nor do they trust it, but change is part of growth and customs are often just arbitrary things that caught on over time.

Holding a fork and knife a certain way changes depending upon where you live, but as long as the nutrients reach your mouth, nature doesn't care. I care, but that is only my preference. The same goes for styles and colors of clothing. Wearing white after Labor Day was once a great faux pas. That doesn't hold true for everyone anymore. Faux pas are like other customs. They change.

Kitchens were once separate houses, or rooms, behind the house because of heat and fire dangers. Then they were separate rooms closed off from the rest of the house so guests would not see the clutter, but now most of us cannot afford hired kitchen help, so kitchens are part of the living room, or great room.

We transitioned from teepees and cabins to houses, to McMansions, and now some people have gone full circle back to tiny houses. Our need to distinguish ourselves by building bigger anthills has diminished somewhat. We are building homes we find comfortable and not necessarily museums.

Although a home is a museum of sorts. It's the place to display our personality. The key word being OUR. Daring to live and decorate and dress ourselves in ways pleasing to us takes courage. Honestly, there really aren't any absolute rules for living besides being safe and healthy. Buying a book written by someone who is supposed to really know the etiquette for all of life mostly benefits the author.

Stifling creativity for the sake of so called etiquette is lazy. 

That being said, I don't want to see the food in your mouth, or be subjected to your noise unless we agree to share it. Those are some of my personality quirks. 

Balance is tricky.