Despite my constant denial and vain attempts to appear moderate I am with out a doubt what I would have called a year ago a “flaming liberal.” As a Christian pursuing religious studies, I hold a very liberal interpretation of the Bible and hold the same interpretation when it comes to politics. The position that I currently hold is a stark contrast to my position when I first arrived to this university which was what I affectionately call my This seems to be a normal event that happens with many college students and wouldn’t normally prove to be written about but there is something else that is thrown into the mix of the story.
I am in a long lasting relationship with someone who I grew up with in my home town but who presently attends a university much different than mine. The main difference between our universities is that where mine harbors the transition from conservative to liberal hers simply harbors conservative and allows students to remain in their ideology. This has proved to spark many debates between the two of must of which have ended with the two of us understanding something about where the other is coming from. But lately this has not been the case. A recent argument erupted when I mentioned that a Christian conservative organization claimed that it “informed” others about Islam but only distributed books that claimed that the religion harbored terrorism. This obviously angered her because she could view all the good that the organization was doing, i.e. the countless mission projects resulting in building shelters, churches and so forth. Was she ignoring the bad or was I ignoring the good? The answer to this question lies ahead.
Innocent until proven guilty is the ideology that the United States justice system is built upon. It states that if you are convicted of a crime the accusers must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you committed the crime or you are free to go. But is this the way that our society really works? What I have discovered is that many of us deal out our sentence, innocent or guilty, along with our first impressions…and I am no different. I have done this repeatedly not only to people but to groups of people and organizations.
In my attempt to become a moderate, able to view both left and right sides of the fence, I have become a liberal, only siding with my fellow lefters and accusing the rights of stealing the lefters’ property. I cannot change the fact that I have a liberal interpretation of the Bible but in my attempt to be open minded I have actually closed my mind. I previously mentioned that I have become a “flaming liberal” but neglected to explain what ramifications this causes. A “flaming liberal” is one who views all conservatives as destroying our nation and what is wrong with society. The truth is that our society and our nation need liberal and conservative and moderate ideology in order to survive. For one side to claim that those on the other side of the fence or those seated on the fence are ruining the land is in fact idiotic and is in fact what I have been taking part of. My views have not changed only they way I see other’s views. I believe to claim that one has an open mind one must be able to be open to both ends of the political, Bilbilica, etc. spectrum.
Conservatives: Innocent until proven guilty
Liberals: Innocent until proven guilty
Moderates: Innocent until proven guilty
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Southern Comfort
Last night as I sat on the couch of my parents’ luxurious two-story house I pondered what the rest of my night was going to look like. Just then I got a phone call from a number that I didn’t recognize. When I answered all I noticed was the thick southern draw and the elongation of the simple, “hey.” I responded as if I knew who it was but it was obvious to the caller that I had no idea, “this is Chad! Alex and I are hanging out and we were wondering if you wanted to do something.” It was two of my good friend from junior high that I hadn’t seen in a long while but had kept in semi-close contact with via facebook. “Yeah I want to do something!” I responded my mind racing of what they looked like now and what they had all been up to. The only thing I did know is that neither of them had gone to college and that they both had jobs that were…well blue collar. “Great we’ll pick you up in just a bit,” Chad said and I raced up stairs to change since I had not left the house all day and was still in my gym shorts. When they arrived I had no idea of what I was going to do or where I was going to go but I knew it was going to be different from my everyday experience.
As I opened the door with excitement written all over my face I found the same written all over theirs. Chad was decked out in his cowboy finest; a new pair of work boots, tight blue jeans, an old, camouflage, baseball cap, and a simple sweatshirt. Alex on the other hand wore the same clothes that I had always remembered hi m in; a hooded jacket, baggy jeans, and a vintage t-shirt. “Where do you want to go?” they asked. I didn’t care I just wanted to get out of the house. So we got in Alex’s truck and drove to new places that I have always been.
We came upon an arcade in a popular spot that I had passed many times but never been in. In the arcade we found “Buck Hunter,” an arcade game in which you actually have to shoot at the screen at deer and get points according to the size of the buck, a game which I had coined myself the looser of before we ever started. But in the midst of playing this game not only did I dominate but I found a new since of joy not only in the game but in a place that I had deemed too low for me to enter. Every time I passed the arcade I never wanted to go in because didn’t want to be bothered by the youngsters who frequented it. But now I was one of those youngsters but I was immensely enjoying the simple pleasure of letting free all of my worries and playing a simple arcade game. I was lost in Galaga and couldn’t even tell you my name if one were to ask me while I was playing. But in my loss of self I found a new self. I found a self that wasn’t worried about tomorrow I was only worried about shooting a space invader attempting to capture my ship.
The next stop was the new super Wal-Mart that had recently graced the main highway of our small Oklahoma town. The grand opening was a few days ago but not many people were visiting the attraction at 1 o’clock in the morning. The first thing that many of us noticed once stepping out of our journey vessel was the array of shopping carts that had seemed to be strewn across the parking lot. After little deliberation we decided that these carts could not be left on attended. The attending to the carts led to us racing and spinning the carts across the wide, vacant lot. All of us gasping, our lungs burning from the cold night air, we kept going and we kept racing our carts back and forth through the parking lot. On these shopping carts in the light of the street lamps I found more comfort in my companions’ enthusiasm for living life without worries of tomorrow. See both of my friends had found fine paying jobs after high school and were employed full time but I didn’t hear them complaining about having to go to work how bad their employers were. All I heard were cheers and laughter for the weekend and for living life the way it was supposed to be lived out.
I have dedicated my blog to my perspective in the hopes that some might find a new way to look at the world but never thought that mine would change in the process. My two friends have shown me some great southern comfort, and no we didn’t consume alcohol in fact Chad made the comment that it was better than drinking. I found southern comfort in my southern friends who at first seemed simply blue collar but pinned on that blue collar was a pin that signified more life experience than I had. In this comfort I found more than enjoyment of life but I found a life of enjoyment. Thank you to my southern comforted friends.
As I opened the door with excitement written all over my face I found the same written all over theirs. Chad was decked out in his cowboy finest; a new pair of work boots, tight blue jeans, an old, camouflage, baseball cap, and a simple sweatshirt. Alex on the other hand wore the same clothes that I had always remembered hi m in; a hooded jacket, baggy jeans, and a vintage t-shirt. “Where do you want to go?” they asked. I didn’t care I just wanted to get out of the house. So we got in Alex’s truck and drove to new places that I have always been.
We came upon an arcade in a popular spot that I had passed many times but never been in. In the arcade we found “Buck Hunter,” an arcade game in which you actually have to shoot at the screen at deer and get points according to the size of the buck, a game which I had coined myself the looser of before we ever started. But in the midst of playing this game not only did I dominate but I found a new since of joy not only in the game but in a place that I had deemed too low for me to enter. Every time I passed the arcade I never wanted to go in because didn’t want to be bothered by the youngsters who frequented it. But now I was one of those youngsters but I was immensely enjoying the simple pleasure of letting free all of my worries and playing a simple arcade game. I was lost in Galaga and couldn’t even tell you my name if one were to ask me while I was playing. But in my loss of self I found a new self. I found a self that wasn’t worried about tomorrow I was only worried about shooting a space invader attempting to capture my ship.
The next stop was the new super Wal-Mart that had recently graced the main highway of our small Oklahoma town. The grand opening was a few days ago but not many people were visiting the attraction at 1 o’clock in the morning. The first thing that many of us noticed once stepping out of our journey vessel was the array of shopping carts that had seemed to be strewn across the parking lot. After little deliberation we decided that these carts could not be left on attended. The attending to the carts led to us racing and spinning the carts across the wide, vacant lot. All of us gasping, our lungs burning from the cold night air, we kept going and we kept racing our carts back and forth through the parking lot. On these shopping carts in the light of the street lamps I found more comfort in my companions’ enthusiasm for living life without worries of tomorrow. See both of my friends had found fine paying jobs after high school and were employed full time but I didn’t hear them complaining about having to go to work how bad their employers were. All I heard were cheers and laughter for the weekend and for living life the way it was supposed to be lived out.
I have dedicated my blog to my perspective in the hopes that some might find a new way to look at the world but never thought that mine would change in the process. My two friends have shown me some great southern comfort, and no we didn’t consume alcohol in fact Chad made the comment that it was better than drinking. I found southern comfort in my southern friends who at first seemed simply blue collar but pinned on that blue collar was a pin that signified more life experience than I had. In this comfort I found more than enjoyment of life but I found a life of enjoyment. Thank you to my southern comforted friends.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Greetings
At first, the idea of me writing on a blog seemed very odd. I do not consider myself an exceptional writer, and I did not think that I had any type of perspective that would benefit society. But at some point I realized that perspective is the exact thing that benefits society. One reason that there is war and injustice today is because of a lack of ability to perceive from another’s perspective. Throughout this blog I will attempt to comment on current events but I will also focus on things that I have realized that you probably have already thought about, but hopefully not. For a while I wondered who my target audience would be, realizing it would probably be a very small one, but then I realized that I am my audience. This blog is an attempt to say what I believe and hope that it encourages others to do the same. I hope that you enjoy reading what I believe and hopefully you can tell me what you believe. Enjoy.
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