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| Supplement to this
I would say that an inherent inefficiency exists in gay conversion camps due to their intent to change the basic nature of certain individuals. Naturally, this never ends well, and in this particular issue i don't see a fair trade-off, in terms of minimizing destructive behavior. Treating the issue as a disease or condition that must be cured only seems to be an insult to autonomy. If you view it as a sin, why not just allow them to wallow in their 'sinful' lifestyle and make their own decisions. I'm sure they are well aware of the Christian position on it, as with those who choose to be adulterers. Masking simple fundamentalist outrage with the goal of conversion just doesn't make sense, as I'm sure love and compassion serve as much better introductions than slapping a pink triangle on them and sending them to a camp, which is precisely what treating homosexuality as a condition is doing - blatantly proposing that a person has something very wrong with them that needs to be fixed.
My proposition? Although I have yet to actually address it, lets start on gay marriage - separate state and morality. Moral agendas via the state seem to be contrary to American ideals of freedom and has proven to be a bad idea at large (as well as contradictory to embracing the free will that empowers religious fervor). As for organizations, give help where it is needed, and not where it is clearly unwanted. I am no psychologist, but to my understanding, the massive amounts of reconfiguration necessary to 'change' such a fundamental aspect of a human being as sexual orientation (supposing such a change can happen truly in the first place) requires far too much work with the potential for far too much damage. I raise no objections to gay adults willingly entering such programs, but on such a small scale as this, I'm sure individual counseling in local churches goes just as far. These programs just seem to be where fundamentalist parents can round up all their homosexual children, bring them into one place, and crush their ability to make decisions on their own and coerce them into a lifestyle they weren't inherently inclined to. In essence, i don't think it warrants as much funding as real humanitarian efforts, which shines a light on a war of ideals and a question of importance. Is stopping an allegedly 'sinful' (yet harmless) behavior really comparable to saving actual lives?
Poverty is a universal problem, but this doesn't necessitate a universal solution. Every ounce of effort counts towards something. With such an immense concern with and discussion of human rights, wouldn't a greater value be placed upon life as a predication to accessing rights at all? This in mind, a single human life is as precious as any other. As much as anyone values their own life and the great potential they may hold, this should only be equaled in the existence of any other human being, going a long way to counterbalance the minor inconvenience it takes to feed a starving child, domestically or globally.
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| Trust in inability trumps trust in friendship.
The best secrets are saved for strangers.
Forever forgotten.
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| Each piece fit perfectly. Concrete bled deep underground, effectively distributing the immense weight of it all into the spongy soil beneath. Intricately measured rigid beams framed the piece of art. Brick upon brick lay precisely, tightly bound by mortar, and a massive expanse of delicately staggered shingles formed a roof above a thin layer of tar.
Nose slowly tilting upwards, he admired the masterpiece. As the cadence of his heartbeat accelerated rapidly, hope welled up in his chest - a hope that it could finally be his. He fought his excitement and composed himself. It was time. He stepped forward and reached to turn the doorknob when he was stricken by a realization. He was a fool.
This house had no doors.
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| He lifted his heavy eyes and turned his head upwards. As he stared at the sky, the sky stared back. A break in the vast expanse - the eye of God cast its stern gaze upon him. Was it time for his final judgment? It is too soon. The scorching light of the oculus permeated through the landscape. He contemplated the constant struggle between light and darkness. Does the inferno not bear a light of its own? What, then, truly is darkness, if not freedom from the heat of this eternal struggle? Longing for darkness, he directed his vision towards the glowing sand, displaced by his heavy feet only to be restored moments later by the torrid desert wind. His empty canteen rattled at the side of his waist, a constant reminder of the suffocating heat. He closed his eyes and pressed on.
The wind suddenly picked up. Grains of sand swirled ceaselessly around him, threatening to smother the life out of him. He was seized by an intense fit of coughing and lifted one hand to shield his mouth from the assault. He raised his other hand and looked at his wrist. Tired hands had succumbed to the sultriness of the desert. Time had stopped - yet the end still approached. Abruptly, he was enveloped in darkness. The wind stopped. He had reached his destination. An immense granite tablet towered over him, covered in etchings left over the ages. It was crowned at the top with the Greek symbol "Chi". His eyes followed line after line of text. They told of Dream and Reality. Hope and Hopelessness. Happiness and Sorrow. Ecstasy and Pain. Life and Death. At the bottom, a blank spot remained. This was his. He produced a pocket knife from his backpack and twirled it impatiently in his fingers, formulating his story. The muse that had led to this very place was gone. Finally, he placed an arm against the searing granite and began to carve characters into the granite, and finished, he collapsed. It was done. The spot on the tablet - his spot - read "God, I really suck at creative writing."
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couldn't you have done something else? lamer. Posted 11/25/2008 9:53 PM by x_onholiday
This week has so far been full of surprises.
I learned what I had never hoped to learn..
and from that, I learned even more.
The past means nothing now; It's just best to keep looking forward.
And that's what I'm doing.
2009 is waiting for me and likewise, I'm waiting for 2009
This entire year has been a year of discovery (perhaps my evaluation of the year should wait until it's over) and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I guess that's what I'm thankful for: (still a day too early)
Discovery, Progress, Friends, Family, and most of all, a hope for the future.
Things can only get better from here, and I know they will.
Yet, I can wait. I'm patient.
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