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I recently had an incident happen where someone who at one time was particularly close to me, anonymously sent me an article I wrote back in the fall of 2000. How did I know who it was if it was sent anonymously? Let me just say I have my ways. The intent of this person was obviously to marginalize what I’ve written over the past couple of years. Since what I wrote back in 2000 was obviously of a different persuasion, and less oriented to the progressive ideals I currently espouse, the connotation was that I obviously couldn’t be sincere in my current views, or anything that I’ve written.
Like many more famous and well-known figures (David Brock comes to mind), I’ve had a conversion of sorts—this being the nonreligious kind. My political orientation has shifted from a right-of-center libertarianism, to the left-of-center progressive populism that I currently embrace. In reality, this is more in line with my working-class, blue collar roots, than any blue-blood brand of conservative economics ever could be.
This person also felt emboldened enough to manipulate me in the area of spirituality. As I’ve written a number of times, my faith can best be labeled post-Xian; I no longer see the need to practice Xianity in any “left behind", or civic religion sort of way.
Over the weekend, I allowed this person to occupy too much space in my head, but out of this period of reflection, I was able to stumble across an excellent article written by Karen Horst Cobb, back in October. I can’t remember if I posted this on my other blog or not, but this writer was able to so closely articulate my thoughts as to my current location on the spiritual continuum, that I’m going to include the link to her article.
All I can say to those who question my sincerity in where I’m at politically, spiritually, and ideologically is this; my current position is much more in line with the progressive ideals that I held in my 20’s and into much of my 30’s. My brief foray into the politics of hate and religious fundamentalism was the aberration. I’m thankful that the first term of Emperor George helped me to wake up and see what time it was. Now if only others would leave the fold and join us apostates in the wilderness of dissent.
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2 comments:
It takes a lot of courage to change our minds, to admit that we were once wrong. Wear it with pride, I say.
So much nastiness and wrongdoing has been perpetrated in the name of not changing one's mind, most notably by our own commander in chief, who congratulates himself for never changing his opinion even when his thinking (uhm, if you can call it that...) has proven deadly, disastrous, and based on utterly false premises and outright lies.
asfo_del
Chef,
Your comments meant alot. You and I have spent some time together in the wilderness and have both come so far from that previous dark time in the land of cubicles.
Asfo_del, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and leave a kind and thoughtful comment. I respect your writing and transparency at Living on Less. It takes courage to leave yourself open, because someone can always come by and stomp on your heart.
It's been a long road back to clarity over the past four years, but I feel very focused as I head into a new year--maybe the most honed in on what I need to do in my life.
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