Not for myself. I worry for my kids, for everyone's kids if I'm honest, in this day and age. I worry that we are no longer raising shepherds but sheep. Tow the line, don't make waves and just shrug your shoulders and say, "Do whatever feels right to you." Don't step in. Instead, make a video with your phone and put it on youtube. Don't disagree. Don't say no. Don't stand up and be confrontational. If you do, than you're a radical, a racist, a homophobe, a pick-a-religion-phobe, etc.
No one wants to say it, so I will. It's really not about equality anymore. Are some people still jerks about race and religion? Yup, because it's about domination not equality. This is what worries me. You would think that in this day and age, we could have one giant tea party where every race in the world, every religion in the world, social class in the world could sit down and hang out. We won't agree on everything, but we can still live at peace with the idea that that person is allowed to be wrong about that thing. But no, because your opinion HAS to be the same as mine, or you're my enemy. Enemies have to be conquered and then punished, so that everyone knows how wrong they were and what will happen to anyone if they dare disagree with me. MY opinion will dominate because it is better and therefor, unequal with yours. It's bad.
I worry about my children and their safety as they get older. Will they be victims of hate crimes because of their race or religion? Will they be victims of sex crimes because no one teaches boundaries to their kids anymore? Will they be forced to pick a god at gunpoint? Will they one day have to take a life in order to save their own? Oh yes. I worry about the state of this once great country I live in. I worry that we're letting evil stand and thrive because we're too tolerant to tell it lay down and die. I'm even a little worried about writing all of this right now.
But then I look to the Bible, the book I believe tells of the one true God. In it is a book called Ester. It's about a young woman named Ester becomes queen, though not by choice, One day, she finds out that her people and family are forbidden weapons though they are about to be slaughtered simply for being related to a guy who had a different opinion of the importance of the king's adviser. Though Ester is afraid and though it may cost her life, she stands before the king and speaks up to plead for help. Why? Because of her uncle's wise words:
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance from the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this." Ester 4:14
For those of you who don't like the Bible, let me put it this way. It's been said that the only thing it takes for evil to persist is for good men to see it and do nothing. Are we doing nothing but make videos for youtube? Come on.
I cannot do nothing. I cannot be silent. I want a better world for everyone's kids. You don't want to believe in Jesus, then don't. I will just pray for you and move on. I won't be a jerk to you if you won't be a jerk to me. I will, however, fight for what I believe in. I believe in Jesus. I believe in courage of those who fight for our safety and freedom at home and abroad. I believe in doing my best to raise my kids to be the kind of people who can be a good friend and neighbor to anyone no matter what they look like or what they believe while standing up for themselves and what they believe as well. I believe in the United States of America and what she can be come again. I even believe that tea party could actually place if we just treated everyone the way we want to be treated.
The great evil of today is simply letting certain things dominate. Let's be truly equal.
- We live in the US, if you don't want to say the pledge, in the morning don't, but the rest of us want to. Living in the US is also optional. You don't have to be here if you don't want to be.
-Pray to whoever...like teachers and schools couldn't use more prayer. Like this country in general couldn't use more prayer. Just let everyone pray, not just one kind of church.
- It shouldn't matter what color your skin is. It should only matter if you're jerk or not.
-If you're gay, be gay. Most people really don't care. Just know that most major religions say it's not okay to be gay, so don't get mad at me. Take up the matter with the god of your choice. I didn't make that rule. It's an easy one for me to live by as I'm not attracted to woman. Now that don't be glutton rule...that one is hard. I've very attracted to cake.
- And if someone wants to know more about us and what we believe, they'll ask. We don't have to push anything on anyone, and we certainly shouldn't be killing them if they don't want to be like us.
So in this new year, and every other year I happen to be on this earth for, I will be better by standing up and being proud of who I am. I'm not wrong for being born in the US, white, Christian, straight or female. I just am as I am. I will continue to educate myself, admit when I'm wrong and fight for those who can't fight for themselves. I will not apologize for living my life boldly, and I know that I have been put on this earth for such a time as this.
