Turns out I'm a really good listener...

All growing up, my mom taught me things that I thought everyone was taught when they were my age.  Be everyone's friend. Think for yourself. Women can be strong, smart, and independent. Play nice. Play fair. Crave knowledge. Take care of your friends and neighbors. Strive to better yourself, your situation, your life, your planet. Live by the Golden Rule. Love everyone. I guess I took her too literally.

I never forgot what she taught me.

People look down on me. Judge me.    Family.    Friends. 
They don't understand choices that I've made. They don't understand the stances that I take on certain subjects. They can't comprehend how I can go against what they believe, what they say, and sometimes what they stand for. They just don't get me. Well, guess what? The feeling is mutual.

I just don't understand. I can't understand. Every ounce of common sense I have in my body, every cell in my brain, every thought process I have...I still can't wrap my mind around it. I keep coming back to the same thought, Didn't your mom teach you how to play nice with other kids, too?

They are disgusted by people that they don't know. They don't understand the way some people love. They don't feel compassion for their pain. They resent feeding their hungry children. They get upset when "they" come into "your" country. They vote against keeping children, elderly, and sick people healthy. Wha-? Ok. Now I'm really confused.

Guess what?

Just as much as my parents molded me into the person that I am, you, too have made me this way. I see the way you treat people and I cannot distance myself enough from you. I choose not to be associated with your beliefs - political, personal, even *gasp* religious. Whatever has been done to make you the way you are is definitely nothing that I want to be around. At best, it seems small minded, intolerant and above all, ignorant. This post isn't meant to be negative, disrespectful, or rude. I have made my own observations as of late, and am hoping to in some small way, help you to help yourselves. After all, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world"

If this Jesus character you're always talking about is as great as you make him out to be, then it seems to me that the things you say (and more importantly do) seem to directly contradict his teachings. Now you're confused, too, aren't you? To quote the great and wise Gandhi, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ". Many of you will sneer at that quote, thinking, 'surely he is not referring to ME...' . I want you to read these next entries and think about them. I mean-  really  review your thoughts, your actions, and your words. These are reasons, quoted directly from your religious text, why you should think about whether or not you are really as Christlike as you think you are. I think you will be surprised at the results of your self-inventory.

"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets"
- Matthew 22:39-40.

"Judge not, that ye be not judged....Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye" - Matthew 7:1 & 5

"And now the design of the Nephites was...that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty..., they were fighting for their homes, and their liberties, their [spouses] and their children,...for their rites of worship....their families...their freedom...."
- Alma 43:9, 45, 47, 48


"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me"
- Matthew 25:40

"According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral  agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgement. Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another."
- D&C 101:77-79


You'll have to forgive me, as it has been quite some time since last in Primary. I do believe that, if I remember correctly, the 13th Article of Faith states plainly that you "...believe in doing good to all men". Am I correct?


Just to clear up confusion, without going too far into sticky detail, the answer is "yes". I do believe that there was a man named Jesus Christ. Supreme being? Or wonderful, giving, loving, honest, open-minded, anti-conformist whom loved all people and hoped to share his message of tolerance, loyalty and charity with the whole planet? For me personally, that is still to be determined. I made a decision a few years ago to remove myself from being associated with the Church of my family. I mean no disrespect for those who still follow their religion, but to put it plainly, it just didn't make sense to me. Love makes sense to me. Honesty makes sense to me. Doing good unto others makes sense to me. Patience, acceptance, charity. These all make sense to me. Being able to choose my own life path to happiness also makes sense to me. My life would have been very un-fulfilling, personally unsatisfying, very lonely, and quite smothering, to be honest. I made the decision with a clean conscience and haven't looked back since. "...I took the path less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." 


What I can say for me, personally, Jesus is someone that I would say I strive to be like. I love his ideas about accepting everyone for who they are. Everyone is different, beautiful, and deserves to be valued. Everyone has the right to be in love. To marry, if they do so desire. To raise children, if that is their wish. To fight to keep their family safe. Work hard to provide for them, even if it means going to a strange place, where you know nobody, and where nobody speaks your language or understands your customs. They have that right.      We all do. We are ALL brothers and sisters in a way. We are all here, with the same dreams and aspirations. We all want to live a happy and fulfilling life. We all want to feel safe, loved, and content. We all have to help each other to build a world worth having, and worth sharing with tomorrow's kids. I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?

I love to watch ABC's "What Would You Do?" It always gets me thinking. It usually makes my heart hurt to see how we treat each other, but I am always amazed by the way people interact. Sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. It's funny - I don't think we truly realize the impact we can have. If we did, I would hope that we wouldn't always conduct ourselves in the way that we sometimes do.








Until the day comes that you can refrain from unjustly judgement and misconceptions about me, accept my friends, accept your neighbors...don't expect me to answer when you call. Count on the fact that I will be deleting your unread emails. Your facebook messages, blog posts, text messages. I can ignore them as easily as you can ignore yours. If you realize one day that I have been avoiding you, just think of it as my way of saying, "I'm sorry- I can't play with you anymore. My Mom told me not to play with bullies."