Day 262 Question 262:

As a society are we moving forward or backwards?

So there is a new show on TV called The New Normal.  What a revolutionary show it is.  This shows touches on all of the major issues in society and puts it in a comedic light.  To give you a little info., a male gay couple decide they want to have a baby.  They find a surrogate, a young woman that is only 24 years old with a 9 year old daughter.  She wanted to do it for them for the money yes but mainly because she believes so strongly in family and believes a child should be raised in a loving environment.  This young girl’s mother (played by Ellen Barkin) is the epitomy of a racist and a spit-fire bigot.  This show holds nothing back.  It touches on politics and interracial couples and many issues that are in our face at this very moment.  I know plenty of people that would not even be able to sit through an entire episode because they would find it to be an abomination.

As a society we are moving forward.  We get kicked down and disappointed and get pushed back sometimes but we are moving forward.  I believe we have enough people in this world looking for progression over regression and it is the fight in these people that makes us advance.  I am a straight woman but it is no secret that I love the gays.  I have had gay friends since I was in high school….actually probably before then, they just hadn’t come out yet.  One of my nearest and dearest friends to this very moment is gay and I will tell everyone that some people could not even try to be the person that he is. He is compassionate and empathetic and kind.  He is smart and witty and charming.  He will do for others over and over again before he would even think about doing for himself.  Who he has sex with is of no concern of mine and his sexuality does not affect my life even a little.  I will support gay marriage moving forward in every state because of this very fact.  I once read a quote that said (geared at a man), “If gay marriage bothers you so much then don’t marry a man.”  My dad and I have an ongoing argument over marriage and what it really is….he says it is a union between a man and a woman and I say it is a union between two people that love each other.  I mean, let’s face it, the straight people haven’t exactly done marriage any justice with the divorce rate now being over 50%.

I get so frustrated sometimes about all of the world’s chaos.  I get angry and I get sad but we are still moving forward….slowly but surely we are moving forward.  We have seen the abolition of slavery and we have seen women move into the work force and climb the corporate ladders.  Yes, we still have modern day slavery and women still fighting for equal rights but we have come much further than we were just 100 years ago.  We live in a country with a president that is half African-American.  Fifty years ago that wouldn’t have even been a consideration.  Regardless of my thoughts on politicians, to see a man of color elected as President, that speaks volumes about how far our society has come.  We have not come far enough (in my opinion) but the process is grueling and will take time.  This is why I am always pushing education and self-discovery….so we can all be leaders and continue to move forward.

 I know my idea of moving forward and others may be different.  I expect arguments about gay marriage and the sanctity of marriage and the words of the Bible thrown in my face but moving forward (in my opinion) means change and acceptance.  Moving forward means truly accepting people and allowing EVERYONE the same rights.  How can we still all breathe the same air and be made up of bodies roaming this earth but still try to tell people that who they are is wrong???  I have never walked one day in another person’s shoes as no one has in mine as well.  I cannot imagine the struggles that gay people, transgender people, mixed-race individuals, Muslims, Hispanics, special-needs people have to face on a daily basis.  I cannot imagine having to continually defend yourself for simply being who you are…..that must be exhausting both mentally and physically.  I can’t imagine having so much love in your heart and having the willingness to love and raise a child and having people criticize and degrade you day in and day out.  People don’t have a choice in who they are (if you believe people choose to be gay that is your opinion but I truly believe people would never choose that with how ugly, hurtful and hateful people of this world can be).  People have a choice in how they act but not in who they are….we were all born as individuals with a purpose.  We are meant to be unique and different.

Life is this beautiful thing.  You know I question God or the existence of a higher power.  I like to think that there is a God of some form and he looks down on me and is proud.  He is proud because I lead with my heart and I am true to self.  He loves me because I no longer conform to what anyone tells me is right….I do and say what feels most natural.  He loves me because I am living on a much deeper level than just the superficial level.  I believe he is challenging all of us.  I do think we have failed him many times but he does not give up…I mean, he is God, he has faith.  This is what my idea of God is….he is what I want him to be.  This is what keeps me moving forward in life.  I don’t want to let him down by not allowing people the same rights and equal measures as I have.  Life is not simple for anyone and I have judged and treated people badly and made assumptions….I know I will again too.  I am not proud of that but I am more aware than I have ever been.  I know how I have struggled in life and I cannot even imagine what other people have gone through…especially those that have been treated like lesser of people strictly because of their race, creed, gender or sexual orientation.  We will continue to move forward as a society once we are able to loosen the grips of the past.  Others actions and ways of life do not define us….we should not take from others….especially if they are doing no harm to us.  Ignorance is not embedded in us, it is taught.  Once we are able to look within and see how we have been ignorant, we have the power to change it.  Hatred in any form is just ignorant….there is nothing natural about hatred.

I don’t want to shove my opinions down anyone’s throats.  I do not want to force people to think like I do.  I always want to give people the option to stop reading at any time.  I only offer my words for people to take in and hopefully think about.  I think it is important that we all expose ourselves to differing viewpoints as often as possible….even those viewpoints that make us cringe.  I bitch and I moan sometimes in this blog and I go on rants about how corrupt our political system can be and about ignorance and blah blah blah but with all of that, I still know that we can continue to move forward.  We are too advanced not to…..we have all of the tools and knowledge at our fingertips (sometimes we have to take off the blinders