transitions

It's been a while since my last post. So an update: I continue to attend UCR this quarter. For course, I have advanced fiction, religious myths and rituals, and renaissance revolutions.

More interesting than that is that I had to move. For two academic years I resided within the religiose household of my aunt and uncle. And while I do not share their religious/ political convictions in the slightest, I assumed I could get along long enough to graduate. You know when you assume you make an ass out of... yeah.

It did not work. The problem was given the title, "differences in our world views" which is a polite way of saying they hate my philosophical, sinful, selfish, atheistic guts. It is worth noting here that I am intrigued by the many masks they wear. Let me explain.

They have a social mask, and wear the visage of a good christian man and woman with an ideal home life. They do not express affection towards one another, nor show anger at any subject.

At family gatherings they wear their family mask, one of care and concern. Obviously overdone, because such care and concern would have led to communication between bi annual family gatherings. Once they return home they take off all of their masks and the real people show themselves.

The unmasked people say and think some disgusting things I could not agree with, though they asked me to (kill the gays among them). My opinions were from a lowly atheist (that makes me a pagan right?), and therefore worth very little, which led to childlike treatment of me.

Even this I tolerated for two years because it was free living. And while monetarily that is true, I was taxed in other ways; ways in which had I known I would have had to pay, I would have stayed away and skipped the whole situation.

Some good things developed from those two years however. My tolerance for religion in all its forms has multiplied a hundred-thousand fold. It will never daunt me again. Not that I was afraid, but you know how phobias are cured by prolonged exposure to the cause of the phobia? Like letting a hydrophobic person stand in water and gradually step deeper and deeper until they are no longer afraid of water. It was similar to that.

I had a concealable disdain for religion as a whole, but now it does not effect me as it once did. I could go to church every week with them with no effect-- other than losing the time in a day for something else, like reading (or flossing the cat, har har). I can see things from the religiose perspective now that I could not before.

When the Reverend Falwel said that homosexuals were an abomination to God, I could see how and why he would think that, and how and why he would be surprised when people tried to disagree. The Bible clearly says it is unacceptable, why is there even a discussion?

Perspective and Point of View are writing skills I have acquired over the years at college. It is much easier for me to put myself in their shoes, so to speak, than I could two years ago. For that I am thankful because it allowed me to wear the masks they carry.

But I will never forget how I was treated, what was said and the true nature of these masked people.

On a totally different note, I now live alone at the family cabin in running springs. I still communicate with my friends and family when I come down the mountain. (The cabin is without phone reception or internet access.) I will compile my writings up there, and when I arrive on Campus I will post them. I already have one: Day 1 at the cabin to be posted shortly after this one.

My Fiancee, hereto referred to as Loo, is joining me this weekend. It has been one week since I saw her, and I am very excited to see her, though I don't know what we will do to keep busy...