FSM and Patriotism

My opinion matters. Your opinion matters. Having an opinion matters. Through too much of my life, I’ve been trying to stay under the radar, not wanting to stick my neck out for fear of offending, fear of being rejected by those I love, and fear of alienating others. I also have carried the fear of ridicule from lack of knowledge on a subject on which I carry an opinion, and for my opinions being uninteresting. I’m done being paralyzed by fear. It’s important to me to share some of my beliefs so that we can all better relate to one another on a franker, more open plane.

I don’t believe in God.

I appreciate much of religion, and understand why it’s such a powerful force for many people. The church provides support and community, answers to difficult questions, and a source of inspiration and power. For my part, compassion and love supersede the necessity of an organization of shared beliefs. Those with disparate beliefs can share community, inspiration, and power. As far as answers are concerned, I am fine with some questions being unanswerable. I don’t need to fill gaps in with stories that are difficult to prove and vague, as the church seems to do.


I am a human first, and an American second.

Being an American for me has historically surrounded service to my government, service to the ideals that my government upholds because I felt that they translated well to the ideals on which America was founded. Nowadays, I feel that disagreeing with my government leads to an un-American label, and that’s bullshit. Believing in peace, working towards tolerance and being committed to creating opportunity for others is a human thing. If it seems to contradict being a good American (It doesn’t!!), then that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I continue to take a lot of pride in knowing that I do work that benefits people (by way of my government), but I don’t blindly subscribe to the ideals pushed forward by a sometimes corrupt political system committed to nationalism at whatever cost.

That wasn’t so hard, was it? Knowing these things about me… does it change who I am to you? It shouldn’t, because I’m the same as before you read it. Tolerance and love are stronger forces than differences in opinions, and I know that my fears in posting this kind of intensely personal discourse on a blog are unwarranted. People want to connect and be real with each other, so there it goes. Pass it on.