Friday, April 08, 2005

The Pope, Mrs.Schaivo, & A new pair of jeans

I've been really wearing out my old levi's but it's so hard to find a great pair of jeans that you can't wait to get into when all of your other clothes are dirty and you know these jeans won't let you down. That's the thing about the jeans, they last longer than any relationship, a quart of your favorite ben and jerry's and your last orgasm (hey, maybe yours are longer than mine, don't rub it in).

The pope passing was like Reagan passing, I just didn't give a fuck. I'm not religious and I was happy to see that he lived a full life but I never saw the point to worshipping an old man who could barely put together sentences months before his death. He was just another idol that many Americans place on a pedestal because they don't have anything else to do but line up outside of St. Peter's Church to catch a glimpse of a man they never knew. I was highly unimpressed with his work to sweep the sexual assault charges against Roman Catholic priests under the rug. These allegations still swim fervently through society and we're clicking our digital cameras away at the man who could have spoken louder, bolder and angrier about the subject but did not, puhleeeze. I have never been a fan of Catholicism as I am not a fan of the religion I was forced into: Southern Baptist. I see religion as means of control, a way to reform whatever we don't' like about what is going on in the world. Slavery was justified by the bible, interracial relationships were sin and ungodly, as is homosexuality. It's all a crock, a sham invented by men who rather hold all the keys to power and success while women bear the kids, the brunt of sin (Eve, you poor woman), and live on the bottom of the totem poll while gladly eradicating their last names (http://www.lucystoneleague.org/change_your_name.asp). Thanks but no thanks. I like being born in 76', living as a child of the 80s and being able to live as an adult in the year 2005. Times have changed and I am considerably happier for it. Men are free now too. They don't have to marry right, wear the pants, don the machismo attitude or succumb to ridicule if they don't play sports. They can be themselves. The church allows no one to be an individual, all it breeds is conformity and ignorance.

As for Mrs. Schaivo, that debate was so strange, so startling that it made headline news. I know of far more horrific things that went on in my own household (schizophrenic mother, abusive father, etc.) but nonetheless, Mrs. Schaivo's story is relevant and finally we have forced the nation to stop and think about death and what it really means to most of us. I have lost many family members and I had to comes to terms with loss very early in life which I am grateful for. It taught me to love and respect the existence of others as well as myself. We are not eternal nor immortal. We will die at some point and I believe that if more of us really embraced that fact, we'd see a lot less war, crime and hatred in our world. When you know that your time is up, you put a different spin on what is really essential to your life. I hope that Mrs. Schaivo is at peace, the way she exited this life will not be looked upon as just by many, including myself. But passing judgment is my favorite thing to do, but in special cases like this, I blame neither the husband or the family. Mrs. Schaivo is at peace, and that is all that matters.