It's Ok To Be Different

Ugh I really don't feel like being here right now. I've been battling a cold all week. Funny thing is my cat has one too. We both woke up the same morning with a cold...both sneezing every now and again. I'm just hoping we don't get the other human and the other cats that live with us sick as well. I'm sitting at work hoping the phone doesn't ring much because my throat hurts bad enough without having to constantly talk.

I think it was Tuesday that I heard that Vermont also legalized Gay Marriage. Woohoo. This time it didn't depend on liberal judges either, it was something the state government did. I wish Indiana would follow suit...

I'm getting reminders to both pay attention to my talents that I'm not using (I'm assuming this means my writing as I haven't been giving it as much attention lately as I used to) and also to slow down and think before I act/speak. This is all very good advice but it's getting harder to do.

Also, I'm tired of hiding certain aspects of myself just because I'm afraid of my family's reaction to it. Family is something that is important to me and I believe that family should stick by eachother regardless of what they do. These people are tied to us and meant to be in our lives for a reason. Either they're supposed to teach us something or we are supposed to teach them something. I don't really believe in coincidences, I believe everything happens for a reason.

We may get frustrated when family members choose to lead their lives different from the way we live ours but that isn't reason to shun them, we should look at that as a way to learn something. We don't need to always analyze why a person does something (though this is something I love doing) but just accept that they do it. For examply who cares about the why of someone being gay/lesbian, what does it matter the why of someone being drawn to explore other religions. The fact is they are. If they choose to live differently than you do, then isn't that their decision to make? I understand parents wanting to protect their children, I really do but...unless a child is literally about to jump off a cliff, I believe kids need to make their own mistakes. Some people, like me, just have an interest in other religions and other cultures. Sometimes those interests lead them to something that more closely fits what they believe than the religion they were brought up in does.

If a person's religious beliefs differ from their parents that doesn't mean the person is saying the parent did a bad job of raising them or that the beliefs of the parents can't work for those parents, it just simply means that they don't fit what the child believes. It is okay, in my opinion, for the children to hold different beliefs than the parent. We are all at different stages of development in our spiritual lives. Just because one person believes there is a devil out there setting temptation in front of them all the time, wanting them to fall from grace and screw up doesn't mean the next person does.

I, personally, don't believe in a supreme evil being. I believe that believing in something and giving it a name gives it power. What I do believe is that anything that happens to us in our lives is entirely man made. Basically the law of karma. What you do, you're gonna get back. Steal something? You'll be arrested most likely but even if you aren't you'll have to live with the guilt for the rest of your life. Lie? You may never get caught but the chances are you'll have to lie again to cover up your first lie and then you have guilt for that. Have too many beers? You'll have to deal with the hangover and the repercussions of your crazy behavior the next day. Nothing is free.

Many people would now say to me "Yea, but what caused those people to lie, steal, or drink to begin with?" To which I would say something like "We are human, we do make mistakes. We all have lessons to learn but the path in which we learn them is not the same as everyone else's." For example: I can easily sit and hear stories of my uncle and father drinking and getting drunk, them dealing with hangovers, or see a movie that shows the same thing and know not to drink. Some other people have to actually do the action and experience the hangover in order to learn the lesson. Just like in school some kids can read a book and learn about science, others need the more hands on approach. Me? I'm the booker. Some of my friends are the doers. Only the stars can tell which way is best for us...