Anyways...
In 1980, "Psychotherapy and Religious Values" was published. In it Ellis, the author, concluded "that human disturbance is largely associated with and springs from absolutistic thinking--from dogmatism, inflexibility, and that [being extremely religious] is essentially emotional disturbance." This could lead to any number of discussions but I'd like to focus on the implications it presents for how we run our lives. It's interesting that we need a psychotherapist to tell us this but, in other words, the best way to relieve any guilt we may feel is to believe that there is so such thing as a moral or immoral life.
Thirty years later, no one really needs the psychotherapist to tell them this, but no one really acknowledges that that's how we run our lives. This attitude has displayed itself in a variety of ways but none more prevalent than the popular "take me as I am" ruse.
Society today dictates that we as people just accept everyone exactly as they are. Standing up for what you believe in makes you cruel and ruthless, bigoted and intolerant, selfish and arrogant. The world looks up at you as you stand on the mount that is your principles and scoffs that you could ever believe that you have morals because the world doesn't believe in morals any longer.
Morals are a thing of the past. Today's code relies more on silence and acceptance. It doesn't take much to see it; it's infiltrated media, music, politics, even religion. These are the areas that I've chosen to pull my examples from.
I'm sure that some of my readers will not agree with what I have to say. Some of you will be offended. That's life--I doubt it's the first time and it won't be the last, so deal with it.
I figure I'll get what is probably (though not necessarily) the most offensive out of the way first. Politics. Don't we just all love talking politics? To be honest I have quite a few friends who refuse to talk politics with me so this could get kind of gnarly. What I'd like to talk about is Proposition 8. I'm sure you've all heard about Prop8. If not you can go here or find your own info elsewhere.
I support Proposition 8. Fully, completely, totally, unequivocally, without a doubt. I have friends who are gay or lesbian and they'd probably be offended by this. But that's my opinion. It doesn't mean I hate gay people. It means that I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, simple as that. I believe being gay is a lifestyle not the way you're born. Again, I've probably offended someone already, but that's that. That's my opinion. And that's the funny thing...in the minds of some I have been branded as homophobic or as an intolerant [insert offensive language here], but I'm required by nothing to believe that your beliefs are right and mine are wrong, no more than you are required to cast off your own beliefs to embrace mine.
So now that I've offended about half of you, you can choose if you'd like to keep reading. My next issue is with a certain song that just about sums up the problems with society: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way". Unfortunately, I've heard this song waaaaaaaaaay too many times thanks to the girls who insist on playing the worst music possible on the radio in the dorm bathrooms, but I digress. If you haven't heard this song go check out the lyrics.
Now for those of you who are worried, no I'm not going to talk about gays anymore, don't get your panties in a bunch, I'd like to just focus on the overall message of the song. Lady Gaga seems to be under the impression that just because God made her, she isn't a mistake. Not to say that God accidentally made a person (that's just ridiculous), but we make our own decisions. How we are now is, in fact, not how we were born. We've gone down many paths and made many decisions and they all influenced us and we've changed. Just because you're a certain way now doesn't make it right. Just because you do something doesn't make it right.
It all goes back to the psychotherapy...the easiest way to relieve your guilt is to convince yourself that there is no such thing as a moral life and therefore no such thing as an immoral life.
My last topic will flow in quite nicely since I'll be talking about religion. I believe God made man and woman in His own image and that He loves all of us. However, some people, some churches, seem to be under the impression that God loves us just the way we are and there's nothing more required of us. Yes, God loves each and every one of us, as a father loves his children. No, we're not done. Like I said, God loves us as His children and like all fathers He wants us to become better. I don't know why this is such a concept to some, but we're here for a reason. We're here to be tested and tried and to endure and overcome in the end.
So there you have it...I'd rather you not take me as I am. The person I am now is hopefully a lot worse than the person I'll be in the future. And the things I believe that make me who I am, that lead me to lead the life I live, are there to make me better. Some things are wrong and some are right. And though there might be those that condemn me for my morals and for the mount I stand on, still I stand and I declare that I will never accept myself or anyone else the way they are until we have become the best we can be. And let me tell you, that's going to be quite a long time.
