Submission is not synonymous with weakness. This is the biggest pus of ignorance oozing out of the ignorantly vanilla world, therefore let us discharge it once and for all. Submission is a rare strength that takes place when one relinquishes earthly pride and humbly gives one's will and power to something greater than oneself. Religion and submission are similar in this regard.
First and foremost, to submit to someone is to TRUST someone. Trust is earned, trust is sacred, and trust is not easily repaired if broken. The submissive trusts the Dominant to act in his best interest, and to never house the intention of seriously harming him.
Secondly, to submit is to live in the euphoria of the moment. What does this mean? We are complex individuals with complex lives. Everyday, our minds race with hundreds if not thousands of thoughts about our life, past, present, future, work, life, family, love, sex, success, failure, fantasy, stress, and even death. Self-awareness is one of the gifts of being human, but it is also a burden. We are more present in our busy minds than we are in the very environment we occupy.
When one submits to another, he frees himself from the burden of thinking. What does this really mean? It means that he is literally ripped out of his noisy head and finally gets to live in the present moment, this moment created by someone else who is concentrating all of Herself on him. For a brief moment, the sub forgets who he is, he no longer has to choose for choosing requires thinking, his next action is already planned for him and all he needs to do is follow it without questioning, without ambiguity. He melts in the will of another, he is no longer responsible nor accountable. For him, this is freedom -- freedom from his mind which is freedom from himself, freedom from his life. All the gears in the machine of the brain come to a complete halt and it is utter bliss.
Paradoxically, the Dominatrix sets you free by bringing you under Her control. You feel alive when you have erased yourself.
Thirdly, to submit is to be happily out of control. We are responsible for our lives, and most of us are responsible for the lives of others as well. We are constantly maintaining control, control over ourselves, our work, our family, control by means of preventing or preempting, control via calculating and deciding. To control is to exercise our freedom, but it is also a vast amount of energy exerted, often resulting in stress and anxiety. Furthermore, not only do we need to constantly stay in control, we are constantly being controlled. Our civilized world controls and suppresses us from the moment we are born. From the rituals of tradition, law and education, manners and protocol, we have learned early on that there are proper ways to do everything. The very language we speak is a form of control, there are grammatical rules within this abstract verbal structure that we must follow, our language reflects pre-existing values and historical references, our thoughts are converted into this language and from which we process our perceived reality. As a large group living in a condensed environment, we are all controlled for the sake of cooperation and progress. In the immortal words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau:
"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."
The intelligent submissive understands this too well, his world is his prison, and his 'enslavement' by his Mistress is his freedom.
Fourth, to submit is to give. When stripped of all the Spanish Inquisition settings and medieval torture contraptions, on a more fundamental level the submissive is essentially communicating his willingness to give himself and his body for the pleasure of his Mistress. He finds himself by losing himself in the service of another. He is happy knowing that he has brought happiness to his Mistress. This sort of selflessness is a very universal human emotion.
Lastly, to submit is to acknowledge and celebrate oneself. Yes. Yes. Yes. It can take a lifetime for a man to openly admit that he finds pleasure in submitting to a Woman. Why? Because being male and being submissive are often opposing forces. This internal conflict is especially heightened when a man is imbued with traditional gender roles from early childhood, conservative notions of sexuality, and has spent a lifetime 'proving' his masculinity. To finally understand yourself and know yourself well enough to recognize that you are a submissive requires a MASSIVE amount of reflection and honesty. This takes strength the likes of which eclipses any muscles in your body. To submit is to acknowledge and celebrate yourself and be accepted by your Mistress.
This is what submission truly means.