We Live

Recommended listening: We Live by Superchick
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A few months ago I wrote a blog post titled Take My Hand in which I touched upon the impact of religion on identity. This topic is something that is frequently at the forefront of my thinking because G-d plays a unique role in my life and I often think of the construct of organized religion. At any rate, today in class religion came up in a new way. After extensively discussing the State of the Union speech made on Tuesday, the conversation shifted to President George W. Bush and his religious views. One student brought up the fact that Bush's overt expression of faith was concerning. The frequency with which Bush openly relied on G-d for guidance made him uneasy. In response to this, several other students noted the positive impact Bush's religion had on him and his supporters. Hours later, this has me thinking outside of simply the political realm. I've begun to wonder, to what extent does religion shape us and the way we look at others?
I guess this is an idea that has been brewing for quite some time. I also touched on our perception of others, specifically Muslim women, in my post Blue Eyes. Of course, this question is by no means unique to me. Everyone questions their own spirituality and faith, but I think it is also integral to begin to think of the faith of others, how we react to it, and how that influences our interactions.


My Faith
Organized religion is not for me. I understand the appeal. I see the value in congregating with like-minded people and worshiping together. I have been disillusioned with it, however, because I grew up going to Hebrew school and attending synagogue services. I never felt connected to it. Perhaps this was because my family is more ethnically Jewish, or because I don't speak Hebrew, or simply because at the time religion didn't concern me. For whatever reason, I never cared for gathering together and reading a text which dictated how I should behave and what I could not do. Throughout high school I have been surrounded by a group of intelligent students, many of which think religion is absolute nonsense and that G-d is a figment of our imagination. So I brushed off spirituality and it was not a component of my identity whatsoever.
However, last year I went on a religious retreat called Kairos. At this retreat I was able to finally distinguish between religion and spirituality. From that point on I have embraced spirituality and my relationship with G-d despite it's non-conventional nature. As a result of the fluctuations along my spiritual journey, I consider myself to be very open minded of others. At this point in time I consider myself Jewish in the sense that I celebrate Jewish holidays and embrace the traditions and customs of my ancestors. I also participate in the Youth Ministry program at my local Catholic Church, where I lead retreats, participate in community service, and discuss openly the role of G-d in my life. Additionally, I wear a very open symbol of my spirituality, my Kairos necklace, every single day. All these components together make up my faith.


The "Other"
In my English class we also frequently discuss the "us" vs. "them" dichotomy. I feel this idea plays a critical role in many religious and ideological conflicts. Looking inward, our religion, or lack thereof, makes sense to us. We accept and firmly believe in the doctrines we subscribe to and the morals we hold dear. However, I think we often forget that everyone else is the same way. The same complexity and thought we have put in to our faith is, for the most part, put into the spirituality of others. Before we can pick apart the religious views and expressions of others (which I, for the record, never recommend doing) we must, at the very least, acknowledge the fact that they have gone through a process to get there and that their beliefs make sense to them.
At the end of the day, I think the way in which we approach other people's religions and beliefs is just as important as the way we approach our own. If we believe in loving our neighbors, the best way to begin to do that is to love them for what they believe in, whether or not we agree with them.


When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.
Peace Pilgrim

Hold On

Recommended listening: Hold On by Good Charlotte

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As I walk down the hallways it is common to hear a conversation similar to the following:
"Hey man, what's up?"
"Oh, not much, just studying for this gay test Friday."
"Yeah man, bummer."
And, with that, the kids go on there way as if nothing at all has transpired.

To me, this is cause for alarm. People throw around the word gay, and even more potentially offensive terms, with little to no regard for the repercussions. In today's world, especially that of the youth, the word gay has come to mean lame or stupid.
The transformation of the word gay is on the minds of many and plays an integral role in our daily lives. Other bloggers have noticed the shift in our colloquial use of gay. This blog explores the origins of the word gay and how the label has developed over time. This blog identifies the same issues I raise, however the blogger claims that there is really no trouble or substantial harm in the evolution of the word gay. I beg to differ.
On Sept. 22, Tyler Clementi's Facebook status simply read, “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”

According to The New York Times, Clementi committed suicide after footage of him involved in a sexual encounter with another male aired on the Internet. Two of his Rutgers University classmates are currently being charged with invasion of privacy. Similar incidents have been increasing in frequency with six* teen suicides due to homophobic bullying reported in September.
Here, I believe the ramifications of certain attitudes and phobias related to homosexuals are apparent. Although I am by no means insinuating that someone using the word "gay" out of context drove Clementi to suicide, I do believe that the way our culture has shaped the word gay contributes to the rampant surge of homophobia that seems to be sweeping the nation.

So, what's next?

I think the best option is to start within. So many of us are guilty of throwing around the word gay out of context. The consequences of such word choice are legitimate and significant. Once we start monitoring ourselves and those around us we have a chance at changing the way we shape the evolution of the word gay. The bottom line is this: no one should have to deal with their identity being associated with such negative connotations. Being gay shapes the lives of many, but the negative connotations the word "gay" has accumulated are unnecessary in shaping the identity of gay individuals as well as the identity of our society as a whole.

Everybody's journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality.
James Baldwin

*Six Teen Suicides in September:
Billy Lucas: Sept. 9
Cody J. Barker: Sept. 13
Seth Walsh: Sept. 19
Asher Brown: Sept. 23
Raymond Chase: Sept. 29

*movement in response to the increase in frequency of teen suicides: It Gets Better Project

*much of this also applies to the word retarded

I Don't Want to Be

Recommended listening: I Don't Want to Be by Gavin DeGraw

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Dancing past the mirror,

timidly avoiding any reflection,

flirting with ignorance of what gazes back,

she escapes.

Head down,

chin glued to chest,

she scurries through the crowd,

escaping faces unlike her own.

Fighting the urge to

speak,

raise a hand,

voice a comment,

her tongue tingles with

thoughts never to be conveyed.

Endlessly struggling,

contemplating,

reevaluating,

her place.

Forever hiding,

lying,

avoiding.

She escapes.

This could apply to anyone at any point in time in any part of the world. The struggle with self and identity is not unique to any one individual or culture or time-period. The quest for understanding and acceptance is universal and timeless. This understanding has been crucial thus far in my blog and is the driving force behind this post.

In my English class we were given the following task: find a recently published article about Africa from a credible news source. Simple right? How much could there possibly be to consider or contemplate? Articles and news about America flood our senses every waking moment, so finding substantial news about Africa should be no different.

What my classmates and I realized was that the articles about Africa followed a set of trends. Articles often focused on one or more of the following: disease, poverty, technology, conflict, and foreign aid.

Beyond class my thoughts have shifted past just the trends to the implications for identity. Do these topics touch on enough? Do they paint an ample picture of the African identity? Is there an identity that is uniquely African? Can the entire continent be lumped together as one?

I by no means have all the answers, but my questions have led me to write this post and explore further. I found this source to be particularly insightful. One quotation that really stuck out to me was this:

It is, therefore, unfortunate today that there are some among us who are ashamed of their African heritage and identity, who are ashamed of their blackness and their African roots. Of course everyone is entitled to freedom of their own individual self-expression.

I agree that it is disappointing and extremely unsettling that there remain a number of African American people who, to this day, are not proud of their roots. Chavis goes on to mention President Barack Obama and the pride that should bring to African Americans. And, I would argue that many African Americans are truly very proud to have a president who is African American. But, what I think is missing, is pride in themselves for their race and ethnicity as well. Africa is a rich, complex, and enticing land. Society should not create the type of atmosphere in which any individual would have to be ashamed of their heritage, whether it be African or not.

Stretching past just Africa brings me back to the beginning of my post. All of us, whether black or white, young or old, confident or unsure, struggle with the notion of identity on a number of levels. Cultural identity is one very significant piece of that. After all of my exploration and thought, the challenge is this: How can we reconcile a stable understanding of ethnic identity in a world where so much culture-clash occurs?

All peoples are struggling to blast a way through the industrial monopoly of races and nations, but the Negro as a whole has failed to grasp its true significance and seems to delight in filling only that place created for him by the white man.

Marcus Garvey