Homo-America

Sometimes the right thing to do isn't always apparent. The black and white is often dolluted by a shade of grey. I think this is why life seems to change, as it does. If there was an absolute right and an absolute wrong then their would be no question of morality. We would not be caught in the midst of various issues such as same sex marriage and abortion. However, these answers are not black and white. So how do we reconcile our personal beliefs with cultural progression. We should "not" assume government policy to be the same as morality. First, we must see the government as an institional entity created by society and also inherent to society. People govern. Therefore, government is flawed. Vomit out the notion that we are some 'holy' nation. There is no such thing. That would be to say that we are a holy people, and we are not. There is none holy, only the Lord. We may pride ourselves in a heritage rich with Christianity and fundemental law, but how far have we strayed from those early principles? Furthermore, how pure were those early principles to begin with?

Let's begin with same sex marriage and surrounding issues. Should a gay couple be allowed to marry not withholding any rights to those persons ( including legal adoption)? What do you think? And why do you think that way? Let me begin by making some open-ended questions.



- Who marries people, the Church or the State?

- What does a healthy home look like?

- Does a child in a single-parent household have a good upbringing?

- Is the nuclear family structure (mom, dad, children, and probably a dog) the most beneficial?



I want to talk a little about the family, first. For two reasons: #1 Maybe looking at this issue of childrearing will shed more light on the question of legal marriage. #2 The topic of same sex marriage involves so much religious babble that I'm just not looking forward to getting into at this moment, (woke up early today, went to some brain taxing class, incredibly hungry, oh...and my hammy's are sore from jogging).

Okay, so children are the future. And it is important that children are cared for. Let's look at what it means to be cared for. Basic needs being met: food, shelter, clothing. Internal needs being met: affirmation, love, respect, peacability. Social needs being met: general socialization, basic moral principles 'modeled', healthy relationship 'modeled'.

Is a gay couple capable of financially supporting a child? Would it be possible for a gay couple to love a child and nurture him/her in an emotionally stable atmosphere? Finally, and most contraversially, would a gay couple succeed in meeting socialization skills in our modern day society? And what is socialization, is it merely following preconcieved norms? These are all questions which may be raised when discussing this issue.

What is socially acceptable? I think our answer to this question reveals the truest nature of our disposition. Really take this in, cause it'll change your life. It is socially acceptable in our popular society to 'fit in' to some box. To look good. To hate certain people, and certain things, and certain ideas. These underlying themes sometimes sound like "they," "we." This creates unfimiliarity with difference, which breeds anger and hostility and leads to hatred and acts of violence in extreme cases.

Understanding how we view society will help us see what is truly important to us. Is it more important that a child has a nurturing upbringing, or that a child has a socially acceptable upbringing? If it's the latter, then we must recognize that we're more concerned with maintaining social constructs than we are with a childs wellbeing. Our ideas of gender role and normacy outweigh our desire to see children being cared for.
What if, allowing same sex marriage and legal adoption reduced the number of mistreated and abandoned youth? How would this affect society as a whole? How would this affect your opinion?
I realize that I have raised many questions and left most of them unanswered. And I really have no idea why I chose this topic at all, I am not gay and I don't really care much about gay rights. I was in a discussion with my friend Paul and somewhere in the midst of politics, morality and Georgy Bush we hit this topic. I don't think it is very openly discussed especially among Christians. So, please feel free to respond and voice your opinion on this postmodern topic and maybe I'll return the favor by telling you what I "really" think. Go Bucks.

Fury

Winter looms in brilliant sparkle. Icy cold relentless power.

Frozen blood where bleeding pounded/chills of pain when love is sounded



Winter looms in brilliant color. Reflecting light, the sun is mirrored.

Stranger warmth beneath its snow/painted darkness fear is thrown



-- Heavy is the hearts distant lover -- mourning and repentance must find its place --

-- confounded by truth and appearance -- suspended smiles from a Holy thunder --



Winter crushes dreams of beauty. Only the reality of cold remains.

This then becomes beauty.

Spiritual Economics

Releasing love to the world is something we all have the power to do. There is no monetary cost. It is more a thing of aptitude. Understanding the principles of giving intagible gifts to others such as peace, trust, love, understanding and selfcontrol. It can be seen as the "economics" of the spirit.

For instance, investing love into someone will expand their ability to love. Being understanding towards a person releases a greater likelyhood of them being understanding of you, and to others. This is not an equilibrium of truth. As if loving someone assures that they will love you in return. However, these are fairly reliable principles. Not in that they pay you back a good deed. Infact, the the deeper you know the invisible attributes of mankind the less you will be concerned with a reward, or a karma-like reality.

You may find that releasing positive energy is less of a rewards system and more like a growing of self. Letting go of jealousies, maliceness, and fear (to name a few) strengthens those around you (yes), but ultimately it looses your inhibitions and strengthens yourself. You begin to find freedom in the all necessary task of renovating your island. Making your existence a more livable state. The goal is not peace, happiness, or self sufficiency those are merely by-products. The "goal" is becoming closer to God and his spirit and truth.

It may sound like a twist ending, involving God with this hippie mumbo-jumbo, but it is not all. God is not even the ending, rather the entirety. Whether you believe in "God" or you don't, you have atleast the idea of God. This idea of a God has been around long before you and I. It exists outside the chronology of time. And where gaps of life and faith are concerned we are unwillingly placed in the forefront. It is then our responsibility (whether acknowledged or not) to discover the truth of meaning for ourselves. A good launching place would be to use these underlining human principles such as love, trust, peace and understanding. This takes on more clarity when viewed in relationship to agricultural laws. The law of reaping and sowing, for example, is both fundamental and transcendant. It speaks to the constancies of creation. These constancies like reciprocation, process and intricacy all appear to parallel the spiritual.

Take reaping and sowing. If love represents the seed, then a multiplication of love would be its harvest. If I invest love and respect to others, that love and respect will be expanded within them and myself. If I release peace to someone it will begin to cultivate an atmosphere of peace. Same with trust, generosity, etc. And these attributes, when repeated, begin to confirm the very nature they possess. Through time as we are more aware of ourselves and who we are becoming these attributes appear more visibly. The same is true with there negative counterparts: fear, hatred, anger, suspicion. These spiritually dark attributes are just as capable of expanding and confirming. The end result is always destruction, "the breaking down of." These are debilitating traits. We can become aware of these cycles and begin to reverse them.

Infact, it is necessary for our well-being that we begin to reverse these dangerous traits. So, I pray that you would reinforce what is good and moral in our world today. We are the only catalysts for change. And if you haven't created a football fantasy team yet, I seriously suggest that you do. later.