The Language of We Back to the Language of We main page
Creating a common language base for relationships
Consent
We experience consent as the ongoing, freely given agreement to participate in a shared relational field — with the ability to adjust, pause, or withdraw as conditions change.
Consent isn’t a one-time yes. It’s a living signal that must remain responsive to safety, capacity, and context.
In The Experience of We, consent is what makes shared responsibility ethical rather than coercive.
What consent actually is
Consent isn’t compliance, endurance, or quiet self-erasure.
It arises when:
Participation is voluntary
Options are real rather than theoretical
Signals of discomfort or withdrawal are honored
Power differences are acknowledged
Consent exists only where choice is possible. If we can’t safely say no, we can’t truly consent.
How consent feels
When we are connected to our felt sense of consent, we often feel:
Free to engage without pressure
Able to name limits without fear
Respected in their pacing and capacity
Oriented toward trust rather than vigilance
Consent often feels like: “We’re here because we choose to be — and we can adjust if needed.”
Consent is dynamic
Our consent is fluid. It moves. It changes.
It can:
Strengthen as safety and trust grow
Weaken under stress, fatigue, or overwhelm
Be withdrawn temporarily or permanently
Need renegotiation as contexts shift
Ongoing consent requires ongoing attention; silence, compliance, or endurance are not consent.
Consent within We Space
In a We Space, consent means:
Participation is explicit, not assumed
Boundaries are welcome, not inconvenient
Withdrawal is respected, not punished
Re-entry is possible through care and clarity
Consent is how We Space stays chosen, not enforced.
Consent and responsibility
Consent doesn’t remove responsibility. It clarifies it.
When we consent:
Responsibility can be shared
Accountability can function without fear
Repair can be entered willingly
Without consent, responsibility collapses into obligation or control.
Why consent matters in The Experience of We
We center consent because:
Relational safety depends on choice
Power distorts fields when consent is assumed
Healing requires agency, not endurance
We Spaces cannot exist without voluntary participation
Consent is the foundation of relational integrity.
Our one-sentence synthesis
We experience consent as the ongoing, freely given agreement to participate in a relational field, with real and revisable choice to engage, adjust, or withdraw as conditions change.
