It's What Brings Us Together, Today

I consider myself unattached to any side of the political spectrum, and usually avoid writing about it. It's mainly because both sides are extremists for the most part. If anything, I'm a centralist. There's good and bad to each side, and I try to be objective and find what would be good as a whole. Sometimes that means agreeing with a Democratic idea, other times it's siding with the Republican point of view. That said, today's a good day. People who've been fighting for their rights, won. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that this happened and if it is, well, we all know you live under a rock now, so your secret's out. 36 of the 50 states have already legalized marriage for homosexual couples. It's not hard to see the writing on the wall that this was going to be passed. 

What's hard to see for me, is how people are upset that this is defaming marriage for straight folks, and impeding on their rights. How? How is this damaging anything you do on a daily basis? If you're straight and already married with tax benefits and all the perks of putting a ring on it, congratulations, you're already taken care of. You're still going to get what you've always gotten, and your life isn't going to be affected by some dude tying the knot to another guy. 

I grew up in Bakersfield, California. A little red island in a sea of California blue. I've been around hearing how bad and terrible this is, because this town is vastly conservative Republican. Fun fact, Bakersfield's considered the Bible Belt of California. So it goes without saying that a lot of people are mad about this happening. In a 2000 vote, 80% of the town voted against gay marriage. I guess this is the centralist in me, but I can't help to ask: "why?" 

Why rebuke this? Church and state should be separated anyway, but that's another discussion. Here's my argument. God to one means Jesus' dad who resides in Heaven, created the world, and sent his son to die for our sins. But to another, God means Alah, who gave Mohommad the Koran, and gives away virgins in the afterlife to those who follow out his will. Yet, to another, God is a couple dozen different Buddha's, all meaning different things. 

All of them have the same name, and a different meaning  to each person who chooses to believe whatever they believe in. I don't hear Christians making a huge to-do that Buddha isn't the 'true God'. I think because they believe it's not, and then they go about worshipping their own Lord. 

So why make a huge to do about someone who probably doesn't believe what you do, and defines it differently? Where's the harm in letting someone be themselves, and you work on being a positive, caring influence in their life? There's so many words in the dictionary that hold multiple meanings. Nothing is truly singular to one specific definition. 

 So, if you're Christian and don't believe in gay marriage, fine. That's your belief and no one can tell you you're wrong. But for those that agree with it and see it differently, that's their belief and you can't tell them they're wrong either. Now that the country holds a majority vote for this and not against it, it's time to hold some class, accept the fact that this is the change our country is making, and roll on with your life. No one is hurting you by flying a rainbow flag from a house just like you aren't hurting anyone by playing Kutless and having a fish or cross on the back of your car. How many non Christians have come up to a Christian and said "your stickers bug me. You need to stop it."? Maybe, just maybe, it's because they don't care. They know you're religious. They know you believe something they don't and that's okay. Why not return the favor and let them be? If you think it's offensive and wrong, that's your thought. Someone else may think you're offensive and wrong. What truly matters in moments of difference like this, is how respectfully you can agree to disagree, and learn to love your neighbor as you love yourself. That goes for anyone of any race, of any orientation, of any religion. The world will be a far better place should you choose to do at least try to do that.