Today, I was
called a “hater”. Actually, I was called
a “bass ackward, redneck, hate monger” to be more exact. Did I deserve this abuse? Certainly not! After all, my only crime is being true to who
I am in an environment where being “who I am” waxes unpopular. So, rather than stooping to less-than-kind
behaviors, let’s consider the idea that those who desire to promote their
sexuality may share very basic commonalities with those who strive to preserve
their spirituality.
You say you were
“born this way”. I completely understand
your feelings. As a very young child
being reared in a home where my mom was an excommunicated, non-practicing
Catholic and my father was agnostic, I would lie awake at night wondering why I
felt such a void in my life. Sadness
and confusion often accompanied my most thoughtful times because I innately knew
that there had to be more to life than spinning around on a planet for 75 years
and then being dumped unceremoniously into the ground. Eventually, I learned to pray and I realized that I was not alone. I had discovered
that a part of me was different from those around me. I tried desperately to squelch my feelings
because my family did not support me and my schoolmates were disinterested in
“the weird girl”. Nevertheless, my
feelings could not be denied and finally, as a young adult, I decided to leap
headlong into the world of scripture study, prayer, and worship despite the
protests of those around me. You might
say that I “came out of the closet” with my spirituality declaring unashamedly
that I was different from many of my contemporaries.
You say, “People
don’t understand me”. Again, we have
something in common. People regularly
make fun of my values calling them “antiquated” and “backward.”
When I choose not to participate in activities that I feel are untrue to
my values, people question my motives, demean my alternate choices, and try to
convince me that I would be much happier if I would only abandon my silly ideals. Even some of my family members demonstrate a
complete lack of empathy. My dad’s
words, “I will never forgive or understand this nonsense” still ring in my ears
some thirty years after my commitment to be true to myself. “Bible thumper” and “Jesus freak” are
worn-out epithets tossed my way and the acts that I consider most sacred are
referred to as “chicken ceremonies” in a “building with a giant dunce
cap”. You see, you’re not alone in your
experiences; the ridicule is just centered on a different concept.
You say that
society does not support you. Well, the
same is true for me. I am constantly
demoralized with images and words that are highly offensive to me. The media portrays my kind as something very
different than what I strive to be. My
tax dollars are spent on causes that are in direct conflict with my strongest
beliefs. On a daily basis, I am inundated
with a barrage of attacks on the core values that I hold dear.
So, you see, we
are not really that different. In our
struggle to be true to ourselves in this crazy world, we all must endure some
difficult experiences. Let’s call a
truce. Let’s start a real dialogue about
how human beings should treat other human beings. You examine your heart; I’ll examine mine,
and let’s emerge as better people who are above name-calling and intolerant thought-policing. We all need each other. We need the light that shines within each
of us to overcome the darkness in the world.
