Emotionally Exhausted
The past week or so has taken an enormous toll on me and my hope for the goodness of mankind. The furor surrounding Senator Santorum's comments has made me question my faith in humanity. Living in the tolerant Northeast allows me a bit of a cocoon from the other parts of the country, but it also blinds me to reality at times. I suppose that there have always been intolerant souls in the world and I just can't understand why god has chosen to populate the earth with such people. I imagine it is for the same, or similar, reasons that there is suffering in this world.
Unlike the intolerant Christian fundamentalists I believe that god created us all- gay and straight; black and white; rich and poor. But there are times when I question the wisdom of god, and this is one of those times. I know that I should be forgiving of their ignorance, yet there is a part of me who absolutely loathes these individuals. I am sickened by their moral righteousness and their smug certainty that they alone know what is god's way.
Anyone who has spoken to me in the past week or so knows just how much this has affected me. I am saddened by the lack of condemnation from other political leaders (hint, hint White House), but also from some of my own peers. Too many of them are content to chalk this up to a few religious zealots mouthing off and/or something that does not affect them. But the truth is, whether gay or straight, this does affect all of us. If we do not stand up and make our voices heard, then these fanatics will have won. We must show them that America will not be held hostage to a cadre of religious conservatives. We must show them that America is a tolerant country that values all of her citizens. We must show them that America is not a theocracy and that she respects the religious diversity of her people. We must show them that America is a country in which all people are treated equal and that she will always stand strong to protect individual liberty. Anything less is admitting to defeat.