When Politness is Miserable

2008-09-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I hate myself for being polite, but I am. I am always concerned about other people's feelings, and how I come across. But, it irritates me when people take advantage of this and "twist" your arm by putting you in a situation where you can't say what you want to say without coming across as slightly offensive.

Is the problem with me? Is being concerned with coming across as non-offensive justification for not being honest? Or is my niceness being taken advantage of? Dunno which, probably some of both, but it is annoying. Having to get along with the human race can be such a pain...

Palin: First Impressions

2008-09-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

I've gotta admit, McCain's VP pick kinda excited me. I normally keep one eye on politics, trying to figure out who is the least evil. But after seeing Palin the first time, I was struck with a sense of instant trust.

This may sound strange, this may be stupid. But do you ever see somebody and instantly trust AND like them? There are few people who strike me like this, in fact, really the only other person I can think of off the bat is Torres, the oldest woman to compete in Olympic swimming.

What makes you want to trust a person who you've never met before? I have no idea, but I think if first impressions make me want to trust Palin, it can only be good for McCain...

Take the Good, Leave the Bad

2008-08-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

Many years ago, at least by my standards, I requested to remove my membership from the church my family was attending. I was struggling with many things being propagated by the pastor and the other moral authorities in the church. I felt that more harm was being done to Christianity than good, and by retaining a membership, I was giving my stamp of approval.

Prior to me requesting to remove my membership, a young man (according to the pastor to my parents), in the church had been found molesting a young girl. This same young man, a year my senior, was called to be a missionary to the foreign field in a poverty stricken country. Soon after learning this, I was blessed to hear several heartfelt sermons from this young fella, on fire for God.

In addition to this, most of the preachers I’ve met couldn’t function in society if they were not given the crutch of spiritual leadership to excuse their arrogance. A preacher thinks of himself as immune to the status of a mere "normal" Christian. He believes he is a man, specially called by God to disburse God's message to the rest of us. He ignores the social etiquette that the rest of society is expected to abide by.

In blind rage, I've listened to preachers call those of other denominations pigs, demons, whore mongers, morons. I’ve seen them spout out some of the stupidest things that a twelve year old can reason to be wrong. They never feel the need to stop and question their logic, their methods, or their attitudes. Rather than seeing the responsibility associated with their status, they only see the authority that they imagine goes with it. Many would be unable to function in society without the crutch of spiritual leadership to excuse their arrogance.

Anyway, that being a very brief summary of my viewpoints up to the point I was requesting a membership change, you can understand why I wanted to disassociate. After begging my parents, I was counseled that there are always bad things along with the good. Going through life, you have got to learn to take the good, leave the bad.

In nearly every area outside of religion, my parents had the strictest of standards.
This is a good summary of how every area outside of religion was viewed. We didn't go to movies, we didn't hang out with the wrong crowd, we didn't listen to rock music, the movies we watched were strictly PG, ect.

After years of internally reacting to many of the standards I was held to, I realized at least part of the reason why. My parents were holding the moral authority of the church to a much lower standard than what I was being held to.

I have learned that by this logic, you can justify nearly anything. Have you ever seen a movie without some redeeming factors? Have you ever had a friend without at least one good quality? Have you ever done something you shouldn’t have done, without at least one good thing coming of it?

When do you leave the good due to the bad? I heard a quote once in relation to entertainment, it went something like, "You can find food in a trash can, but that doesn't mean I want my kids eating out of it." I pose the same dilemma for modern day Christianity. I can find good people in the church, but that doesn't mean I want to be associated with it.

The Random Cynic

When Politness is Miserable

Palin: First Impressions

Take the Good, Leave the Bad