Why Don't you Do yourself a favor?

And just leave me the hell alone.
sometimes I really like Pat Green.  And Texas country music.  Have I mentioned that Texas country music is 1,000,000 times better than Nashpoop?  Just saying...  You won't find a song like this:

All right, all right, go on and live you life tonight
I'm fine, man I'm doing all right.
Never needed you to be a part of my life
When you're sitting there all alone
Why don't you do yourself a favor, and leave me the hell alone...all right.

Bigger Fish to Fry

I am not at all appalled by the shocking lack of critical thinking in regards to the gay marriage issue.  First, I am not going to state my position on it.  I am going to ask a few questions:

1.  What is the history of Marriage?  (Each culture different, but study them all)
2.  Why is the government involved in marriage?
3.  What is the history of the relationship between government and marriage? 
4.  What is the proper role for the United States Government (as outlined by the constitution) in regards to marriage?
5.  What does all of this have to do with the Protestant Reformation?

Those should make you think.  Now, don't go to the knee jerk left v right response.  Let us delve deeper.

First, let is separate a few things and then unpack everything.  First point.  For me. I am not attempting to change your mind or criticize your standpoint no matter how wrong it is.  Just kidding.  My own personal belief is that marriage is between one man and one woman and God.  I see the world through my Catholic belief system perspective.  So that is the ground work for my thought process. 

Got it?  Okay, you don't have to agree, but if  you would like to know how I view this issue, I will explain.  if you dont' want to hear what I think, then tune on ESPN.  I'm sure world peace is on there throwing more elbows into faces and apologizing. 

I always wondered why the Christians and gays squared off on this issue.  It is essentially because both parties are wanting the Government to make them happy.  Here we go.

I'm going to save ourselves many hours of research and reading.  Who wants to read anyways? 
Lets divide it into two types of marriages for our argument here.  Spiritual and Regulated.

Spiritual :

Marriage is a sacrament in the Catholic church.  Marriage predates the church,, and it has existed in many other spiritual communities.  I know it is in Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths.  It is subject to the higher "authorities" in those various systems. 

Regulated:
Basically government doing what it does best.  Yep, you guessed it.  BOHIC.  Government taking your money.

Where did the two really blend together?  John Calvin.  Yep.  When the Reformers threw off the chains of the "tyrannical" Catholic Church, they invited a devil they didn't know called government. 

so fast forward.  Now the Conservatives / Christians want the government to define marriage as one woman / one man.  So let me get this straight.  Protestants couldn't live under the Pope and Church telling them what to believe and do and act etc... So now the government can?  They are seeking the government to legitimize their personal spiritual beliefs?  Why?

And the gay marriage proponents don't get a free pass on this one.  Since when is marriage a "right"?  How convoluted are you?  There is absolutely nothing in our Constitution that specifies that you have a right to marry whomever you want.  You are just pissed because you feel like a victim.  Do you have any idea how much of America doesn't care you are gay?  Seriously.  You build it up and wear it as a badge of honor and most people simply don't care.  If you are so sure in your rights and your own personal crusade for equality, why do you seek the legitimacy of a government that only seeks to disenfranchise you? 

Both sides need to stop with this absolute asinine behaviour.  The state should have absolutely no say in the personal lives of the citizens.  That is so simple.  Both sides are beyond help in their ability to analyze this situation.  There are many more important things. 

So to put it in one sentence, my thoughts on gay marriage:

Polishing the Brass on the Titanic.

It's not about the marathon

Maybe Sunday night I will tell you why.


Until then, I leave you with Mumford:

And after the storm,
I run and run as the rains come
And I look up, I look up,
on my knees and out of luck,
I look up.

Night has always pushed up day
You must know life to see decay
But I won't rot, I won't rot
Not this mind and not this heart,
I won't rot.

Silent All These Years

What if we had the courage of our convictions to be who we think we are?  Instead of saying the "politically correct" thing or the "polite" thing, we actually attempted to connect at a deeper level?  I know I am guilty of it.  I have for many years glossed over things that I should raise a ruckus.  When we are not honest with other people, our intentions can easily be mistaken.  Our society is so comfortable with labeling and categorizing things.  I know I am.  Here comes a tacky sports reference.  We all go through life with our own game plan.  It may not be written out and recited daily, but it is still there nonetheless.  By such and such time I plan on doing so and so.  Etc.  We approach life and all of the details of life with this mental framework.  Our thoughts and expectations guide us daily.  Anything outside of those expectations must be dealt with.  Forgot the dry cleaning?  Left a kid at the library? where did that car get off to?  All distractions from the plan and all must be dealt with.  (the kid isn't a distraction, leaving them was).  Anyways.

So you are proceeding through this as expected as you please.  We are expecting a certain feedback from people.  But what for one minute if someone was completely honest with us about something.  I'm not talking about when someone is pissed at you and they unload.  I'm talking about the things that we don't mention.  Mainly because we are embarrassed by them.  For example.  I like Alanis Morrisette's music.  and that scares me. 

See what I mean?  Useless knowledge, but now you see a greater insight into how my own thoughts work.  Don't get too close, they are scary sometimes.  But maybe that level of knowledge is a dangerous thing.  Perhaps we are aren't supposed to know one another that closely.  Would we lose our humanity if we know other's thoughts?  Or would we gain deeper insights into what we truly are? 

The old adage of ignorance is bliss is an interesting adage.  I've stated many times that I would rather know than not know.  As a general rule.  And as a general rule, general rules suck.  But I digress. 

So when someone unloads a piece of information upon our game plan, we usually seek to organize it.  We want it moved over into a "predictable" column.  I'm sure after the appropriate hugs and kisses are doled out.  But what if for one second, it was the norm?  Where we could always express our deepest fears, concerns, joys and disappointments?  What if there was such a place where we were emotionally safe enough to do that? 

I believe that we were created with that craving for true emotional intimacy.  Every form of expression, except for self immolation, is a calling out from our deepest souls searching for a connection.  And what if at the end of that single plea from the darkest recesses of ourselves the answer came back that you are not alone?  What would happen in this world?  When we were all honest about what we truly feel and we all stopped long enough to listen to each other?  Would the fighting and hate and burning of ourselves take place?  Or would we all find our own humanity and find that the one common denominator is our Maker?