Paradigm Shift

I had a thought, or several actually, on my way back home from the park today. I was listening to some country music (a guilty pleasure) with the top down, wind and sun on my face and just kind of floating in my head. I am not sure if I can express it as clearly as it solidified in my mind, but I will try, as it has stuck with me.

I know who I am. (profound, right?) I know what I believe. (in part) No one has ever changed my mind by arguing with me. I have never changed any other person's mind by arguing with them. Since I know who I am, and know what I believe and arguing changes nothing...then I am done with arguing. I refuse to fight against anything. It is a waste of my time, life and energy. I choose instead to work for the things that I believe in.

It sounds like a subtle shift, but in actual reality it is monumental in practice. I am going to attempt to stop arguing with the people who believe the opposite of what I hold to be true. I am going to attempt to stop letting them pick a fight with me. I am going to attempt to refuse to engage in their communications and conversations that they have predetermined outcomes for. I want to deny them any and all of my energy. I want to ignore them completely and utterly. None of this will be easy, but these are the things that I hope to stop doing. 

What I was to start doing is working for what I know and hold to be right. Aligning myself with people and organizations that are proactively making a difference in my community and other like minded individuals lives. I want to support the civic and political leaders that believe in equal rights, liberties and freedom for all of the citizens of this country. I want to volunteer and be involved in supporting the groups of people who are committed to actively making my life and others lives better. I want to make my minutes and hours, dimes and dollars count for good.

In short, I am washing my hands (habits die hard and know it will be a process) of ALL of the religious individuals, groups, organizations and churches who continue to protest, berate, condemn, vilify, harass, abuse and discriminate against any and all humans based on their beliefs, gods, books, teachers, leaders and personal ideology. Raising a voice to and against them has accomplished nothing except waste my time and life, frustrate and hurt myself and add energy to their mis-truths, false teachings and hate. Those people are the weapons that some churches uses to maim and cripple others, no matter how much they attempt to disguise such actions and words in "love". Quit killing my brothers and sisters with your "truth" and "love". You are dead to me and I hope to have the resolve and strength to no longer be baited into your arguments, distorted attempts at "bridge-building" and mind games. You are playing with peoples lives and that is not right.

What I will do is invest in what I believe in. I cannot expose the evil and tyranny of some religious people any better than they are already shouting it from their pulpits, from their books, on their website and blogs and comments sprinkled everywhere a public forum exists. They are doing an excellent job of illustrating the futile and ridiculous battle that they are losing. This noise and spectacle is their death knell. They sense and are beginning to realize that their days are numbered. It is only a matter of time before good and right prevails.

I will not add to their fury.

I choose to build for good. 

I choose to love in word and action.

I choose to work for, not fight against.

daemon