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Slaves and Kajirae

A thought came to my mind in a discussion I was having with my girl. And that was that there are many slaves who come to Gor, looking for a master, or to find people of like heart, but there are very few kajirae.

What do I mean by that? Of course, in the books, kajira simply means "slave girl" and nothing more. There are not "classes" of slave girls, all slaves are essentially the same. However, in the books, there are slaves and then there are slaves for whom buyers pay dozens or hundreds of gold pieces. Let us say that these exquisite slaves are what we mean when we say "kajirae."

Being a kajira is not a measure of training alone... there are many well-trained slaves who are not kajirae. As I am speaking of them here, kajirae display an attitude and behave in a way consistent with that of the finest slaves portrayed in the books. They are lively, vibrant, feisty, sexy, and intelligent. They are strong willed, yet always in submission to their masters. They are respectful and deferential to all honorable free, both men and women. They are the girls for whom it is an intense joy to own.

I have such a girl. I do not feel it is a boast to say it, for I have seen many, many girls in my time within Gor through the online medium, and I can say that she is a rare jewel. I have known a few who are just as rare, just as special, and who exhibit the qualities of a true kajira, but they were all taken! ;-) A few names come to mind, but I won't embarrass them by speaking them here, so you can relax holly... ;-)

But what is it that distinguishes a kajira from a slave? Is there anything we can point to that can be a measure in a definitive sense? Why are most slaves just slaves? Even if they serve well, and are a joy to their masters, why are they only a slave, and some girls, even those less trained, are kajirae?

I think it has to do with *attitude*. The problem with many girls who come here as slaves is that they have this attitude of the "glamour slave." They want to be the cat of the walk, and they act like it. They may be deferential to their masters, but when master is away, the cat will play. They are respectful to *other masters* only when the interaction is going the way *they* want it to go, and when chided or called on anything, they become insolent and say, "You can't talk to me that way! I will have my master speak to you for this." What? Sorry, but I had the thought that kajirae were *always* respectful and deferential to *honorable free men and women* within the community.

Of course, there is more than a proper attitude. A kajira is vibrant, loving life and her place in it... feisty, playful and a joy to her master... and intelligent, able to keep herself and point others to the Gorean path. A kajira follows a *master morality*, as has been mentioned here before. How can a slave... a kajira, follow a *master morality*, one might ask? What is a master morality anyway?

A master morality is one where a person, free or slave, follows a system of virtue ethics, like the system portrayed in the books that is showcased for us, where honor, integrity, accountability, and responsibility are of prime importance. A kajira holds herself to Gorean principles in her dealings with others, and always in accordance with the best interests of her master. She does not have to ask her master "what to do," she *always knows* from Gorean principles what to do... she is, in actually, a practitioner of Gorean thought, and is thus, herself, a Gorean.

To me, that is the difference. A kajira is Gorean. She is not BDSM with a Gorean veneer. She is not her own view of what a slave is, nor is she anyone else's idea of what a slave is. She is a *Gorean slave*, who applies the principles for living to her life. And since she has a *Gorean master*, there is no conflict with that in her submission to him.

And finally, what makes for a kajira over a slave? The kajira is not a mindless robot or a doormat. Slaves who are mindless or doormats can never be Gorean. The kajira has a *strong will*, and she *expresses that will* in all things, but *in submission* to her master. She will tell her master what she thinks on this issue or that, respectfully, and she is ready to abide by his decision when he makes it, without whining, moping, sulking, or having a private pity party. She expressed her view, she has been heard, and her devotion to her master is supreme.

A master I respect often says that "slaves cannot be Gorean." This is true, if one means, as we have defined here, that slaves are those who follow a *slave morality*, or are doormats or mindless robots. No one who follows a slave morality can be Gorean, is the broader statement.

But kajirae *can be Gorean*, and girls become kajirae through the application of Gorean principles to their lives, and maintaining them, even within their submission to their masters. They become kajirae by following a *master morality* where they are responsible and accountable for their actions, not hiding what they do behind their masters' backs, and always acting with personal integrity and honor. Though, as we have concluded before, the honor of a slave is not the Gorean honor of following caste codes, but is the honor inherent and available to all humanity. As Norman wrote, not all honor is to be found in the codes.

© 2008 Braveheart

 

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