It's 2015.. WHY YOU WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.

With the passing of the "Religious Freedom Bill" I was shocked. I still am trying to understand why the bill is even needed, along with trying to deal with all the scrutiny it now puts the state under.. The backers for the bill say "It's nothing different than the other 19 states" and "It's not discrimination, it's for religion" but yet the state's own Governor cannot answer a simple question about whether it's ok for the LGBT community to truly be discriminated against.

You can see that here --->(http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/gov-mike-pence-religious-freedom-law-29987447) P.S. he also says "It's not on my Agenda" when asked if the LGBT community should be under the same civil rights as everyone else under Indiana and Federal legislature.. Hmmm. That's a really hard decision, don't you agree? (sarcasm)

I have been thoroughly displeased with the decision of the passing of this law and the people who support such a decision. The reason the title says "you will be left behind" is because that is the truth. The people who believe that the LGBT community does not deserve to have equal rights as everyone else will eventually not be "cool" in the eyes of society. We now are slowly but surely evolving into a society in which we understand that the human endeavor is a hard one.. who are we to decide how one decides to live life and whom they choose to love!? The generation that I grew up in and live in now is a generation that is not tolerant to bullying, the intolerance to ambiguity, or inequality for other people. You're no longer just a "bigot" or just  "prejudice" .. you're now simply just an "asshole" 

 We cannot decide how one lives but we can decide that we all should be together in the world. I have often heard the phrase "don't push your lifestyle onto mine and make me accept it" .. At this point, no one is pushing anything on anyone.. I think the only thing that is being pushed is the acceptance that everyone was created equal. For all the true patriots reading this article, may I remind you of the phrase "Dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal under the eyes of God" .. Or did we decide to cut that one out when it comes to sexual orientation or any other issue that "pushes the envelope"

I have also been thinking about us. Humans. We want freedom of religion (just as long as it's in our terms), we want marriage and love (as long as it's in our terms of "norm"), we want and dream of our own family (as long as we can say who can and can't marry to fulfill that dream) and we also want to say that America is the greatest country in the world. If you look at all these things, the biggest thing lacking with equality in America is our willingness to open up and accept something that is different than what we know to be our "normal" .. 

Here's my point: more than ever we need to love. We need to love each other because without that, we have nothing. Whether you want to say you can't love another because your religion says you can't, I say out of all religions, none of them teach hate. Hate is something that is taught to you. 

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” - Nelson Mandela

-G

Duuuuude. Deep thoughts.

The deep thought I had while driving to Mccutcheon High School today (I am subbing) (P.S. No wonder Harrison hated this school, it's out in the middle of fucking nowhere!) But back to the point.. I was thinking about where my life would have been if the way it was had not been real. If I had gone to another school, hung out with different people when I was in High School, or done any number of different things than I have already done. You start to think about where you would be, what you would be doing now, and what it would be like if you lived a different way of life. This then makes you think of the question "Why did it come out this way?" .. And i'm not saying I wish my life was different or that I'm not happy with the way my life is now, but it makes you think deeper about everything! Whether we are destined to be where we are or is it all just luck? One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Signs where Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) asks his brother, Merrill Hess (Joaquin Phoenix) what kind of person he is. He says "Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that some people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?

This to me brings up a lot of questions as to who we are to the very core. Do we believe that we are on a straight path of pre-destiny or are we on a path that is going to go every which way but forward until we end up wherever we end up because of luck or chance?

If you're religious, look up Romans 8:29 .. See what you think of that one! If you're not religious, try to think of this deeply because this is something that will rattle humans until the day we die.

-G

Mike.Mike.Mike.Mike.Mike.

Ahhh ole' Wednesday. Ye Ole' Humpday. MIKE. MIKE. MIKE. MIKE. MIKE! I want to encourage you to maybe take a risk this week or month and do something that you wouldn't normally do.. Celebrating the New Year is all about bringing new ideas, concepts, and change to your life so today, on the most random day of the week, try to flip it and make it the best day of your week! Always remember that the Love in your heart can beat the bad on any day.. If you're religious, I suggest Romans 5:8 today. That will make your week even better!

-G