A little sappy, maybe. Dont care... I wont say who, but a few weeks ago, I had an aunt who means a great deal to me tell me she was alone and thinking, and she asked herself What if there is no God?. Shes a believer and of strong faith, but she at least entertained the question and thought about it, saying the idea sort of scared and overwhelmed her when she couldnt decide where morality would come from. (There is so much great material on this from various perspectives if someone seeks it out!). I was totally proud and impressed. I dont ask everyone to convert to atheism or anything, but something that was considered off limits was put under the microscope by an elder of mine. The reason I was impressed was because anybody who says older people cant bend or learn anything new was proven wrong in that second. Also, I dont mean to sound all-knowing or condescending, like some 32 year old guru. Yeah right. I dont know everything or mean to sound like I do. Im just a fan of questioning and a firm believer in the idea that it leads to progress. When I see a generation some write off as incapable of questioning their traditions and routines doing just that, I take it as a good sign. A day or so later, at a family event on my late fathers side, I had a super conservative uncle really cut loose on Obama, the liberal media, Hobby Lobby, Obamacare, etc. I didnt really agree with him on much (especially on what qualifies as an attack on religious freedom), but nothing he said sounded stupid, belligerent, or mean to me. I felt he definitely got his news from right-wing sources, but he wasnt dumb. He was pretty informed. Hes a great, smart guy. When I asked if he trusted the Conservatives, he didnt blindly yell Yes! They are the way and the light! He said No, not really. I just chose the lesser evil. When I told him I didnt think Obamacare was an efficient vehicle, but that I still felt everyone needed healthcare, he agreed. Again, nobodys switching allegiances and were all still a mix of pride, fear, and stubbornness mixed in with our reason, but conversation can be had between two sides without it getting bizarre, cruel, or uncomfortable. Somebody definitely yelled Obama sucks! from the crowd, but youll have that. For the most part, the liberals werent snarky and condescending, and the conservatives werent waving flags, screaming Love it or leave it!, and bragging about how eager they are to shoot somebody. It was just a normal conversation. That might not seem like a big deal, but where religion and politics are concerned, its a rarity. Again, Ill take it as a good sign. And, finally, I have just found myself in a Facebook conversation over whether or not God should be in the pledge or Thomas Jefferson was a Christian over on yet another aunts page. To my surprise, her nephew was pointing out that Jefferson was a deist, not a theist, and explaining that the letters hed written made this clear. It wasnt me starting the conversation or being the troublemaker. Ha, and my aunt didnt shoe everyone away, yelling that the Commies had finally won. She urged everyone to maintain their point of view. A 70 year old conservative lady urged her nephews to speak up, even if they disagreed with her on something as personal and volatile as religion. You can write people off. I know sometimes I do. Once in a while, though, theres a little glimmer of hope. I know some people think we should avoid the heavy topics, but for me, anyway... I can only take so much talk about sports, movies, Mondays sucking, Fridays being amazing, weather, and the power of positive thought. I (and others) love to sink our teeth into something more, occasionally. Happy and relieved to see thats not just a young people thing. I gotta tell ya, I think those conversations would have been a lot shorter and a lot more awkward if theyd happened in 1994 and not 2014. We call that progress.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 18:38:14 +0000
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