Recently a friend told me she was sinning. She was texting with me while she sat in church. I told her that this word "sin" has a different meaning for everyone.
The technical definition of sin is:
1. transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam.
2. any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.
3. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense: It's a sin to waste time.
I think we can all agree on some of the more aggregious sins, murder, fraud, rape, etc. But as far as "texting during church" goes, I think that is a personal call. Which made me wonder, what is my personal definition of sin?
To me, sin is something that upsets the peace in my heart. It can be an unkind word to someone who does not "deserve" it. It can be a random thought that has no place in my mind, and can only cause harm to someone else, or even myself. It can also be as simple as grabbing an extra bag of ice at the Wal-mart. To one person it may be breaking a traffic law, whereas to someone else, what are traffic laws?
Although, something that makes me feel bad isn't necessarily a sin. It may be a mistake, or a failure in judgment. The sin comes in how I take care of it. Do I apologize, do I justify? Do I make a wrong a right? Or do I shrug and move on. But is it really a "SIN?"
I think this term sin, is to place unnecessary gravity on some minimal mistakes. I would also contend that it's the easy way for a religious group to control their masses. Get them to do their bidding, if you will. I mean, who can argue for sin? "Please, Pope, let me cheat on my exam?" Not going to happen. Therefore it's a harness on the "righteous", a guilt trip to "guide" the masses.
Does God really care that she's texting me during church? Probably not. Although that could be a possible explanation as to why the world is in the shitter right now. Hypothesis: God is more worried about the incidence of texting during formal church functions, than the status of the current economic crisis. Hmmm....I'll have to run some tests, make some graphs and bar charts and "get back atcha."
So, my advice. Life your life in a manner that you're proud of, and more importantly, in a manner that makes your grandma proud. Fix your wrongs, own up to your mistakes. Take responsibility. Take time to evaluate your life and the way you're choosing to live it. Don't judge others. We're all trying our best. Be true to yourself, and the rest should fall into place.
So. I guess I'll get your text Sunday? If I don't text you back, it's because I'm in church.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
We Voted. Did you?
What an amazing year we've had. The presidential election has sparked more interest than I can ever remember. Perhaps it's because I'm a political science major and I'm just hearing about it more. But from what I can tell, it's been a bigger issue with more people than years previously.
This was the fourth presidential election I have voted in, the second as a mother. I am a registered Republican, although those of you who know me insist that I'm a closet democrat. I will not go so far as to agree, but I will say I'm closer to the fence than the majority of my republican counterparts.
My journey to the polling station began a few months ago, mostly once McCain was already going to be the Republican nomination. McCain was really not a news-worthy event at this point in time. I was a little disappointed that Romney didn't make the cut, but most of the focus was Hillary or Obama. I was really rooting for Hillary to win, for a couple reasons. First of all, she has TONS of experience, I mean, anybody who has been married knows she jointly ran this country. If not almost completely ran this country. Another reason I wanted her to win was because she was a woman. I'm not going to lie here. I can relate more to a woman than to a man, regardless of race. So, I was hoping she'd win. She didn't. But what a fight.
Once the spotlight came off the democratic nominee war, then it was time to really take notice. Being a true Republican, it was going to take some solid persuasion from the Democratic party to entice me to cross the aisle. Joe Biden was picked as VP. Eh. Whatever. Not good enough. Number of houses McCain owned....still, eh. Not good enough. Sara Palin was picked as Republican VP. Yay! A woman! A fellow mother! Someone I can relate to! Yes! My vote is as good as cast.
Then she opened her mouth.
At first, I thought, "Okay, not stellar, but please, she has long days of night. Can you blame her? It takes a minute for someone to really rally. Her acceptance speech wasn't bad. It was pretty motivating....let's just wait and see how her interview goes." Then she was shielded from the press. Why? Well, I have two words for you. Katie Couric.
Why the campaign thought it was a good idea to release this hockey mom to a real pitbull (maybe they thought her lipstick could save her?), is beyond me. Her initial interview was SHOCKINGLY ridiculous. She misspoke, time and time again. She was uninformed, and it seemed that she just kept regurgitating the practiced lines she was fed by her monkey trainer. I was highly disappointed. But blissfully ignorant that MAYBE it would go unnoticed by the press. Oh wait, I mean, the "liberal, elite media." Oh how very, very wrong I was.
The interesting thing about Saturday Night Live, which I would point out, hasn't been THAT funny since the mid-eighties, is that they really, really know how to take the main issues and bring them to light. Such as that Palin gets more adorable when backed into a corner, and instead of fighting her way out with a good argument and statistics, she just tries to charm her way. Or point out that she has no clue what she's talking about. Or that she's using ridiculous arguments (such as her state's proximity to Russia) to make claims that she's full of experience. Instead of just admitting her experience is less than ideal, but that she's a quick learner, the McCain-Palin presidency has many advisers who are very well versed in areas where she is not, and that she will quickly be able to adapt to her post.
Instead, she chose to whine, complaining about the "gotcha media." Which in turn, just turned said media into a feeding frenzy. Hey, when someone admits that you "got 'em" it's like a challenge to get 'em again.
So, at some point, I changed my mind. I hate to say that I didn't vote McCain because of Palin, but there was absolutely no way I could physically vote Sara Palin into a "72 year old" heartbeat away from the presidency. I could EASILY think of three people I would feel more comfortable with to represent our country should the need arise. Larry, Mo and Curly. Honestly, though, if the female vote was what we were going for here, why not Anna Cabral, the Treasurer of the United States? A woman, and ALSO a Hispanic. Or any woman staffer in D.C. who has been on the hill for more than 20 years? If you want congressional experience, any number of these women would be your girl.
So, election morning (I DO NOT vote early. I think things can change over night, plus it takes some of the excitement out of it), we got up early. Our home was charged with excitement. We loaded up in the car, and headed to our precinct. My boys came with. I feel like this is a teaching opportunity that is worth exploiting. I'm raising my boys to love their country, and one thing that sets our country apart is our right to speak out and vote. We got to the precinct, got our ballot card, and we all trooped to the machine. Miles got to touch the box for Obama, Zeke for Matheson, and it just went from there. They were super excited and super engaged. When we were done, we all got our "I voted" stickers, and went out for pancakes. The boys were a minute late for school, but I would argue that they learned more in that short morning, as Ben and I explained the electoral college, and why we need to vote, than they did the whole day, nay, week at school. I know this is a morning they will always remember.
I didn't get to be with my boys when McCain conceded the race to Obama. The boys told me they jumped up and down, hugging and kissing. Which for two boys who spend more time slugging each other than showing affection, that's a pretty big deal. I would say the lesson was learned. The point hit home.
Voting is a privilege many, many good men died to give me. I will forever be grateful. At times I may not feel like my voice counts. But the men who have come before me's voices do matter, and really, mine does too.
Does yours?
This was the fourth presidential election I have voted in, the second as a mother. I am a registered Republican, although those of you who know me insist that I'm a closet democrat. I will not go so far as to agree, but I will say I'm closer to the fence than the majority of my republican counterparts.
My journey to the polling station began a few months ago, mostly once McCain was already going to be the Republican nomination. McCain was really not a news-worthy event at this point in time. I was a little disappointed that Romney didn't make the cut, but most of the focus was Hillary or Obama. I was really rooting for Hillary to win, for a couple reasons. First of all, she has TONS of experience, I mean, anybody who has been married knows she jointly ran this country. If not almost completely ran this country. Another reason I wanted her to win was because she was a woman. I'm not going to lie here. I can relate more to a woman than to a man, regardless of race. So, I was hoping she'd win. She didn't. But what a fight.
Once the spotlight came off the democratic nominee war, then it was time to really take notice. Being a true Republican, it was going to take some solid persuasion from the Democratic party to entice me to cross the aisle. Joe Biden was picked as VP. Eh. Whatever. Not good enough. Number of houses McCain owned....still, eh. Not good enough. Sara Palin was picked as Republican VP. Yay! A woman! A fellow mother! Someone I can relate to! Yes! My vote is as good as cast.
Then she opened her mouth.
At first, I thought, "Okay, not stellar, but please, she has long days of night. Can you blame her? It takes a minute for someone to really rally. Her acceptance speech wasn't bad. It was pretty motivating....let's just wait and see how her interview goes." Then she was shielded from the press. Why? Well, I have two words for you. Katie Couric.
Why the campaign thought it was a good idea to release this hockey mom to a real pitbull (maybe they thought her lipstick could save her?), is beyond me. Her initial interview was SHOCKINGLY ridiculous. She misspoke, time and time again. She was uninformed, and it seemed that she just kept regurgitating the practiced lines she was fed by her monkey trainer. I was highly disappointed. But blissfully ignorant that MAYBE it would go unnoticed by the press. Oh wait, I mean, the "liberal, elite media." Oh how very, very wrong I was.
The interesting thing about Saturday Night Live, which I would point out, hasn't been THAT funny since the mid-eighties, is that they really, really know how to take the main issues and bring them to light. Such as that Palin gets more adorable when backed into a corner, and instead of fighting her way out with a good argument and statistics, she just tries to charm her way. Or point out that she has no clue what she's talking about. Or that she's using ridiculous arguments (such as her state's proximity to Russia) to make claims that she's full of experience. Instead of just admitting her experience is less than ideal, but that she's a quick learner, the McCain-Palin presidency has many advisers who are very well versed in areas where she is not, and that she will quickly be able to adapt to her post.
Instead, she chose to whine, complaining about the "gotcha media." Which in turn, just turned said media into a feeding frenzy. Hey, when someone admits that you "got 'em" it's like a challenge to get 'em again.
So, at some point, I changed my mind. I hate to say that I didn't vote McCain because of Palin, but there was absolutely no way I could physically vote Sara Palin into a "72 year old" heartbeat away from the presidency. I could EASILY think of three people I would feel more comfortable with to represent our country should the need arise. Larry, Mo and Curly. Honestly, though, if the female vote was what we were going for here, why not Anna Cabral, the Treasurer of the United States? A woman, and ALSO a Hispanic. Or any woman staffer in D.C. who has been on the hill for more than 20 years? If you want congressional experience, any number of these women would be your girl.
So, election morning (I DO NOT vote early. I think things can change over night, plus it takes some of the excitement out of it), we got up early. Our home was charged with excitement. We loaded up in the car, and headed to our precinct. My boys came with. I feel like this is a teaching opportunity that is worth exploiting. I'm raising my boys to love their country, and one thing that sets our country apart is our right to speak out and vote. We got to the precinct, got our ballot card, and we all trooped to the machine. Miles got to touch the box for Obama, Zeke for Matheson, and it just went from there. They were super excited and super engaged. When we were done, we all got our "I voted" stickers, and went out for pancakes. The boys were a minute late for school, but I would argue that they learned more in that short morning, as Ben and I explained the electoral college, and why we need to vote, than they did the whole day, nay, week at school. I know this is a morning they will always remember.
I didn't get to be with my boys when McCain conceded the race to Obama. The boys told me they jumped up and down, hugging and kissing. Which for two boys who spend more time slugging each other than showing affection, that's a pretty big deal. I would say the lesson was learned. The point hit home.
Voting is a privilege many, many good men died to give me. I will forever be grateful. At times I may not feel like my voice counts. But the men who have come before me's voices do matter, and really, mine does too.
Does yours?
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