office musings

right. so i work with a relatively old woman who, up until this point, has been on my good side.

for the most part, i'd sort of accepted her as a feisty old woman with a lot of spunk and character, but, today, i couldn't help but feel that she's more or less fallen out of my good graces.

why?

well, with nothing to do today, i was reading a Harry Potter book.

she came by and asked what i was reading, so i showed her the cover and told her.

"Ya know, I've never understood the appeal of that stuff haha I mean, my kids and my grandkids love them, and they told me that if I gave them a shot I'd like 'em, but whenever I see that stuff on TV all I can think of is witchcraft! Just witchcraft!"

and she went on a little more, finally delving into the fact that she thinks my generation is at risk because the morality of her own generation has gone out the window.

nobody gives religion as much credit as they should anymore, she says.

i was okay with this speech. Lord knows i've heard it a fair few times from old people, so i figured it was more or less expected.

but then she kept going on with a new topic.

"And ya know what else I don't get? These jails! I mean, so the men prisons are ALL men, right? And no women. And the women prisons are ALL women, and no men. So I'm thinking, why the heck are these places so stocked up with condoms? And why is this okay? No one thinks it's wrong. I mean, think about it, right? ALL men and ALL women? What else do you think is going on there? And NOBODY thinks it's wrong. And I'm asking, 'Why the HECK is MY tax money being taken by the government to BUY these condoms and SUPPORT that kind of thing.

I'm old-fashioned now - nobody gives me or people who think the same way as me as much credit anymore.

I believe in the old stuff, where I don't want my tax money to go to that kind of thing. Where I don't understand how 6th graders're getting pregnant and these parents nowadays're letting their kids just watch violent movies and play violent video games.

I mean, right? Thank GOD my kids're all grown up and raised already. It's terrifying to think that kids're gonna grow up with these kinds of things.

And to think that all those things're alright?

Marriage is for sex and having children and it's for a man and a woman.

I don't understand people who just have sex outside of marriage or have babies without getting married.

Right?

But if I say these things out loud, then I'M just judgmental, right?

It doesn't make sense."

you wanna know why you're considered judgmental, you old windbag?

because you fail to recognize the changing times. call the newer generation ignorant of old morals and values if you want, but you're just as guilty - if not moreso - of being ignorant of [necessary and inevitable] change.

i can understand wanting to let things stay the way they are, for the sake of stability, but hot damn, you'd think all those years under your belt'd be proportional to your alleged wisdom.

first off, Harry Potter is about more than witchcraft. if you read it and didn't judge a book by its cover, you might discover that that is chock full of the morals you and your beloved Bible so faithfully support and preach.

secondly, if you want the HIV epidemic to continue to spread, just because of your adamant objection to homosexuality and your need to hold onto a few extra dollars, go ahead: get that blood on your hands.

i think people of your age and mindset forget that there is one institution that has, arguably, been around longer than the Bible or any religious institution (that is, an institution that not only preceded Christianity, but also formed the foundation of it): love.

love is a big word, though. over time, it's been abused, misunderstood, and has evolved, incessantly, since its inception - whenever that may have been.

it encompasses a lot of things that we may often take for granted: human decency, compassion, loyalty, and faith.

the Bible isn't about the rights and wrongs of humanity, and, even though it outlines the many flaws of the human race, it doesn't hold said race in contempt.

if anything, it honors the one thing that seems to set humanity apart from all of God's other creations: our capacity to love.

that's all.

that's all religion should be about.

and that's all that should be in mind when deciding between right and wrong.

do we let convicted, confined criminals copulate with fatal consequences? let them die and offer no charity or compassion or, in the very least, guidance?

is it really wise to simply attempt to prevent the inevitable? rather than adjust to change so as to provide better safety?

no, because even Jesus gave those who wronged second, third, fourth chances.

moreover, knowing full well that these individuals might head back out into society, how can we sit idly by and allow for their "indiscretions" to spread to innocent passersby?

how can we put our neighbors at risk?

in any context?

how can we let them starve, deteriorate with disease, or allow them to make ill conceived and poorly informed decisions?

and how can we prevent our neighbors from partaking in the one God-given gift that defines our humanity?

how can you tell someone that their love is wrong?

love is a big word, not because it should be restricted or contained or feared, but because, simply enough, it doesn't discriminate.

it's human.

it's flawed.

it's inevitable.

it's necessary for harmony and unwavering faith in whatever you choose to believe.

and that's the only morality we need - that is, the kind that isn't defined by too-long lists of dos and don'ts; rather, the kind that allows for indiscriminate and unconditional love.

so, thank you, old lady, for saying all of those things to and right in front of me, knowing full well that i'm involved with the LGBT community.

thank you for disregarding any notions of human decency and consideration so as to banter on with your hurtful bigotry.

i regret not being brave enough to stand up to you and needing this job.

but i'm grateful for the fact that, God willing, i've got another 60 some odd years to go before my moral compass goes to pot.

and, of course, before i need Depends, too.