let’s ruin christmas by talking about religion (and politics)
I’m up to the religion and politics prompts in the 30 days of truth and it’s kind of appropriate since Christmas is upon us. (This is pretty rambly.)
I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school through 8th grade and considered myself Catholic until some time in my early twenties.
Now, I’m…well, now I’m just me. I’m agnostic. I’m not ready to call myself an atheist because I do believe that there’s something big that connects everyone and everything in the universe. But I don’t think that it’s anything that anyone would call God. It’s just existence and energy and the universe and everything. I think I used to find the idea of everything being chaotic and random scary, and the idea of a plan and God therefore comforting, but I don’t feel that way anymore. If there’s no God and no plan, then I am here, looking at the stars, by some beautiful accident. That is miraculous. It’s possible that there are no answers and I find that kind of wonderful.
I don’t really care what other people believe and would never support suppression of people’s preferred answers to life. But I find nearly all religions to be…woefully inadequate and silly and I don’t think I’m a bad person for saying so. Someone’s beliefs aren’t suddenly immune to criticism. I won’t tiptoe around someone’s thoughts just because they’re resolute.
Because I feel that I know the most about the Catholic/Christian experience, I feel comfortable saying that that whole scene is pretty screwed up. And in my experience the vast majority of its most vocal practitioners have no idea what they’re talking about and aren’t very good Christians or very good people.
We’re not raising the baby within any kind of religion because we feel very strongly that religion is not something that is inherited, but that it is simply an option when you’re looking for answers in life. I can’t experience the baby’s challenges in life for him so I can’t require that he look to the same kind of comfort that me and however many other members did. We talk about our worries and our fears and our questions all the time. If he wants to explore religion, we will. I think that’s fair.
As for politics, I’m a registered Democrat. I’m far more liberal than that, though, and wouldn’t dodge accusations of being a socialist. But right now I’m kind of done with all of it. I just haven’t seen any evidence that anyone who holds an elected position knows or understands that actual people are affected by their work. A few months ago, I took a “news break” because I was getting extremely upset to the point of not being able to function at the antics of politicians and businesses, especially surrounding the health care reform. I realize that I can do something like that because I am privileged and don’t have to actually live the news that I’m ignoring, but I really couldn’t take it anymore.
I feel that discourse has disintegrated into each side trying to prove how stupid the other side is, like this is some kind of game that can be won. The goal is no longer making America better for its citizens, but to make it as fertile for huge businesses as possible. We do not live in a society. We live in an economy. Maybe it’s always been that way. That doesn’t make it a good or worthwhile thing.
Day 1 Something you hate about yourself.
Day 2 Something you love about yourself.
Day 3 Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 4 Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 5 Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 6 Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 7 Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 8 Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 9 Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself
December 30th, 2010 at 9:50 am
I hear you on the news break idea. One year during Lent, I decided to stop looking at blogs during work (that’s some work ethic there, huh?). I restricted myself to only looking at news sites (The Chicago Tribune, CNN, New York Times, etc). It just so happened that I took this pledge riiiight around the time the economy tanked, foreclosures spiked, and everyone hated everything. I was more depressed than I had been in a very long time, and I really attribute it to the increase in news viewing.
Life is too short to get tied up in all of the b.s. that takes place in national/local (my local = Chicago and Illinois gov’t…not exactly a pillar of success and virtue) government because we working folks don’t get much of a say in it, and yet, we are typically the ones dealing most directly with their decisions. Yuck. I’m better off looking at pictures of kittens online, frankly.