Yes, I will attempt to breach this topic and please wish me luck. I have no idea how many re-writes this post will have but I'm hoping one genuine heartfelt rant will be all it takes. Many months ago the Westboro Baptists where on the news for what they are always on the news for and before that I had never really heard of them before and now that I've looked them up and got the facts on all of it I must of had my head under a rock. And today I got home from work completely miserable (8 months pregnant and wrecked) and turned on netflix and one of the recommendations is a Kevin Smith live in somewhere show. So in this show he talks about his movie Red State and his relationship with the Westboro Baptists protesting his film. And just his reaction to them and how he protested back was just glorious. It wasn't hateful, it was funny, lighthearted, and satirical perfection. Because what the Westboro Baptists don't seem to understand is that putting so much hate out there brings potential tragedy. You can only add fuel to a fire for so long before it explodes.
Now I'm a conservative and a christian and both are confused with being a small/closed minded, racist, homophobic, ect. And if you are one of those people that truly believe we are all created equal just because of SOME under the same conservative flag then you are sorely mistaken. Now the Westboro Baptists preach hate, not religion. And they are a poor representation of faith. In my opinion they shouldn't even be called a church because God would never preach such hatred amongst his children.
What I'm going to talk about now is my own personal opinion on homosexuality and religion. So if you don't agree with it fine, if you want to argue with me about it, wonderful. Feel free to do so. I must be one of those people that just everything about me screams "Talk to me about your life and your problems." Because it seems to happen a lot. But more than once some kid has come to me and asked me about my view on it. My view is that life is to short to not be happy and not be who you are. And that's not to say you should come out and be carefree right off the bat and damn the consequences. Because put yourself in this kid's shoes, horrified of what your friends and loved ones would say or think, how many people that you love will you lose just because of this? Someone that is gay is put in a terrible position just because of who they are. If everyone put themselves in a gay person's shoes I don't think there would be half as much intolerance and misunderstanding. We straight people have it amazingly easy in comparison. Now if you are a kid reading this and you have a religious family don't be to quick to judge your parents silence or horrified expression as rejection. Because, and this is not everyone but from what I've seen in most cases is that you're parents love you and that doesn't change. Its more they are afraid that this makes your life harder and it will. Your parents may also be stuck on their love for you and what the bible says. The bible never says to persecute gays, it says to treat them like everyone one else. I don't feel that God would want me to hate anyone just because of who they are. God does come down hard on homosexuality and that is where as a parent they are most torn. Your parents love you and they want the best for you. They want a good life for you and they don't want to see you hurt or mistreated and unfortunately being gay raises the odds of that happening.You can't ask someone to give up on their faith, just the same as you can't give up on your kid. And that, is the dilemma. Some will say "You can't have both!" and I say, why not. Love your faith and your family, because hate of either will get you nowhere.
Just because you are gay doesn't mean you can't have a relationship with God because no matter what God WANTS to have a relationship with you. Talk to him about your life, your worries, your family. Just because you are gay doesn't mean he has stopped caring or has never cared. I think people have the assumption that God gives up on his children easily. I don't think that at all, I think he is there and he waits for you to come back if you ever left. Once you love someone does that ever go away and can it?
We need to approach situations like these with an open heart and an open mind, not a set point of view that won't be changed. People are amazing and they have lived and gone through some horrific and amazing things and through their stories we learn, we grow, and are inspired. You just have to be capable of seeing it and putting yourself in that persons place even if just for a moment.
And to the Westboro Baptists in particular this is for you. God will love and take in a kindhearted atheist and a kindhearted homosexual before he would ever take a hateful christian.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Why Wait?!
So the other day I was watching a documentary on Stan Lee and someone had asked him why he wasn't retiring and enjoying himself. He answered "Why retire, I'm doing what I've always dreamed of doing." Which made me think, do people wait till they are retired to do what they've always wanted to do?
Though I can understand it in a way because being a responsible adult forces you to make sacrifices for yourself, your spouse, your kids, etc. But to wait for 40-50+ years to do what you've always dreamed to do? That is absurd to me. I mean what if when you retire your health in such poor condition that you find yourself unable to do whatever it was you dreamed of doing? Nothing lasts forever, your health being one of those things and while I know and understand you have a duty to your family, you also have a duty to yourself. So few of us get to actually work an occupation that we love to do so why not indulge in something that you like to do on the side. I took up the violin eight months ago because I've always wanted to learn. If its this hard to learn now I can only imagine how hard it would be to learn at age 60 something. Its good to have a passion and to share that passion and your love for that passion with others. It inspires people to do the same with their own passions whether that be art, writing, film making, the list goes on. I'm learning violin now and once I learn how to play it to the best of my ability I'll continue to do so. Then I will continue onto something else I've always wanted to do.
Life is hard, you have to work, you have to make ends meet. But if you let it bury you you'll find very little joy in it. I've gotten to the point at a job were every day I was just so apathetic and embittered. And because of that I was turning into someone I didn't recognize. Do yourself a favor and don't do that to yourself. When this happened to me I quickly started looking for another job and the job I found though still not what I love to do, they were still flexible enough for me to take time off for family gatherings. I worked with people that understood there was a world outside of work and that was all I could ask for. No job is worth being that unhappy. Never quit your job without having another one lined up because jobs are to rare to come by now a days to do that. So don't go reading this and think its okay to tell your boss to shove it tomorrow. On my other blog I once compared leaving a job you absolutely hated to go to one that at the time is exactly what you wanted/needed was like taking a really good poop. Your full of stress and anxiety a now that you no longer have to go to that every day you feel a giant weight/pressure leave.
So don't wait till retirement. Be as happy and fulfilled as you possibly can. Because no matter how hard things get you'll always have a part of you that you can escape to.
Though I can understand it in a way because being a responsible adult forces you to make sacrifices for yourself, your spouse, your kids, etc. But to wait for 40-50+ years to do what you've always dreamed to do? That is absurd to me. I mean what if when you retire your health in such poor condition that you find yourself unable to do whatever it was you dreamed of doing? Nothing lasts forever, your health being one of those things and while I know and understand you have a duty to your family, you also have a duty to yourself. So few of us get to actually work an occupation that we love to do so why not indulge in something that you like to do on the side. I took up the violin eight months ago because I've always wanted to learn. If its this hard to learn now I can only imagine how hard it would be to learn at age 60 something. Its good to have a passion and to share that passion and your love for that passion with others. It inspires people to do the same with their own passions whether that be art, writing, film making, the list goes on. I'm learning violin now and once I learn how to play it to the best of my ability I'll continue to do so. Then I will continue onto something else I've always wanted to do.
Life is hard, you have to work, you have to make ends meet. But if you let it bury you you'll find very little joy in it. I've gotten to the point at a job were every day I was just so apathetic and embittered. And because of that I was turning into someone I didn't recognize. Do yourself a favor and don't do that to yourself. When this happened to me I quickly started looking for another job and the job I found though still not what I love to do, they were still flexible enough for me to take time off for family gatherings. I worked with people that understood there was a world outside of work and that was all I could ask for. No job is worth being that unhappy. Never quit your job without having another one lined up because jobs are to rare to come by now a days to do that. So don't go reading this and think its okay to tell your boss to shove it tomorrow. On my other blog I once compared leaving a job you absolutely hated to go to one that at the time is exactly what you wanted/needed was like taking a really good poop. Your full of stress and anxiety a now that you no longer have to go to that every day you feel a giant weight/pressure leave.
So don't wait till retirement. Be as happy and fulfilled as you possibly can. Because no matter how hard things get you'll always have a part of you that you can escape to.
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