OK, first-off, those union reps need to be taken out and shot! I was a union rep and not all the hounds in Hell could have stopped me from attending a meeting like that. I was there for my members, of any colour, any culture or any erotic preference.

For the rest, you have survived and retained your integrity. That is in itself a victory.

However, I would argue that your contention that we are shaped solely by our surroundings as social beings is incomplete. It is possible to resist - you have done so- to assert the self and spit in the face of expectations. Epictetus, Nietzsche and to some extent, the Buddha, all make plain the need for the true seeker to ignore and where necessary defy the expectations of those around us.

I chose the role of the Harlequin, perhaps you will become the Bard. It's your Telling, so make the story what you want it to be,