A Royal Hypocrite

Okay, when I started this thing yesterday, I thought I was going to be keeping track of what I discovered in my new ventures into religion.  Before I get to that, though, I need to vent about this Royal Wedding stuff that's happening.  I am one of those people that is actually pretty excited about it.  My mom is DVRing it for me, since it's on so early local time, and I'll admit that I'm disappointed that I can't watch it live.  Besides the fact that I have this ridiculous obsession with celebrities (I'm not really sure why), I think it's pretty cool to watch a royal wedding.  We don't have royalty here in the U.S. (the closest we have is the President), so I find it pretty fascinating to get a glimpse inside that world, even just for a few hours.  Also, I love love!  I love watching people be in love and fall in love and share their love and I'm probably one of very few people that loves weddings!  (I actually enjoy the ceremonies more than the receptions....backwards, I know).  And I get that it's publicized more than it should be and that people are tired of hearing about it, but really...isn't it just nice to see some good news?  People are so worried about whether Obama's birth certificate is authentic (now that they can stop obsessing over him releasing it in the first place), or how high gas prices are, or how high the national deficit is...and the growing number of troops still being killed over seas.  And by no means, am I implying that these issues are not important.  The point is simply that they're sad...and it's terrifying for many people to think about them and it's depressing to realize what shambles this world is in at the moment.  Seeing two people share their love with the entire world is a nice break from the doom and gloom of every day life.  For a few hours, we can forget all of that, and forget about those bills piling up that we can't pay or that family member that needs some extra special attention at the moment and just focus on someone else's happiness. 
That being said, I realize I'm a bit of a hypocrite.  A few years ago, I posted a status on Facebook sharing my frustrations with the overwhelming number of Phillies updates.  During the baseball season, whenever I sign on to Facebook I get a play-by-play of every single game from at least four different people.  When I posted my status, I expected to get some sort of backlash...mostly jokes about my poor team spirit; however, it escalated into something I never expected and wouldn't admit to until now.  During that attack (that's what I'll call it and that's what I'll stick to, because, well...that's what it was), I was accused of being negative among many other things that I'd rather not stir up again.  I argued that the attention and the obsession with sports was only good if the sports team in question was winning and got the response that it was good for the city and it was something that made people feel good.  Until now, I wouldn't admit that was true.  Yes, it's good for the city; however, I'll maintain my argument that this is only true when the team is winning.  I can make a comparison to the Royal Wedding, though, in that it's something for people to look forward to.  It gives people a means of forgetting their troubles and the troubles of the world for a few hours a day.  There are those that take it too seriously, as there always are, and those are the ones that have ruined sports for me forever.  On the flip side, while I can make the comparison and admit that sports (like the Royal Wedding) is a means of escape, the wedding is a one time event.  William and Kate are only getting married once...the Phillies play for nine months of the year (if you count Spring Training), every year.  Talk about obsessing and over-publicizing!!!  So, I will admit that my eyes have been opened and I see how I am slightly hypocritical, but in my sports rants, I never once insulted a sports fan or player.  Calling the Royal family "monarchial parasites" and insulting those that plan on watching the wedding is extremely uncalled for.  I'm all for sharing your opinions, and even for a little bit of criticism, but insults are unnecessary (especially when you don't personally know the people you're talking about).  What amuses me the most is that the people I have seen the most complaints and insults from are the ones that obsess over sports to a rather tragic level...taking it personally when they lose, or when someone else says they'll lose; calling them "my" team; watching the games while at work and cheering loudly enough to be distracting (at work!!!!!!), etc.  I wish I could say that this realization would make me more accepting of sports, but it won't, for several reasons: 1) as mentioned before, baseball is nine months long (and when it's not baseball season, it's basketball, or football, or hockey, etc); 2) also as mentioned, sports fans are the biggest hypocrites of them all.  It's okay to obsess over something, as long as it's sports-related and in your own hometown and 3) sports fans are just vicious.  No insult is good enough to express their hatred for the opposing team and anyone that doesn't like the home team should be banished from the town. 
So, I might keep the rants to a minimum from now on, simply because I understand now what it's like to be on the other side of it, but I will still maintain that the Royal Wedding is a moment of celebration.  It's the ray of sunshine in the dark cloud surrounding the world.  It's been something to look forward to and when it's over, it will be over and we'll move on with our lives and in a matter of days it will be forgotten about.  We've all got our guilty (or not so guilty) pleasures, everyone has something they use as an escape, something that helps them forget, and who are we to tell them that it's not okay?  So, watch your sports, or your reality tv or some random person's wedding, and as long as you're smiling at the end of it (and not insulting anyone in the process), then good for you!!!!        

In The Beginning...

I didn't really intend to start this yet, but it's in my head now and I've got to get it out.  I used to be quite the writer, back in my high school days, but that's when I was miserable and had a lot to write about.  I find it harder to write when I'm in a good place in my life, but it seems I have a lot to say, so I figured this is the best outlet.  It's no fun writing it in my own journal where I'm the only one that gets to see it and my Facebook rants have proven to offend too many people.  I'm the kind of person that questions everything.  I take nothing at face value and I'm not the "take my word for it" kinda girl.  Some would say I'm judgemental (I'll admit to that), others would say I'm negative (but not to that one), but I would definitely define myself as misunderstood.  I have a lot of opinions (strong ones) and I don't often take the time to think about things before they come out of my mouth.  So, yes, I often offend people without necessarily intending to.  I'd like to believe I'm generally a good person and I'm definitely more accepting than most, but I'll admit I have a mean streak and you'll be lucky to get an apology. 
One of the things that just baffles me and intrigues me the most is religion.  I was raised Catholic (church on Sundays with my grandmother, made all the sacraments, etc), but I'm far from it now.  My religious rants don't generally go over well, because it's something that just confuses me so much that I find it hard to put my feelings into respectable terms.  I've doubted the teaching of Catholicism (and others) for several years, but I never actually read the Bible or any other religious manuscript.  So, about a month ago, I decided to crack it open and give it a whirl.  I thought this would help me to better understand the minds of those with a strong faith, but it would also help me to form better arguments when asked for my reasons.  A close friend asked me what my views on death were and it was hard to answer because her grandmother had just passed away and she is very religious.  So, I knew that she wanted to hear something great like, "well, I believe your soul lives on and we will all meet again in heaven someday."  But, that's just not something I can wrap my mind around.  I kindly tried to back out of the conversation, because I didn't want to offend her, but she wanted to hear what I had to say.  I'm happy to say that she's great and she was very understanding and very open-minded and didn't judge me for my beliefs at all.  She managed to answer some of my questions in ways that helped me better understand the way her mind works.  And while I don't agree with the opinion, I understand the logic.  I understand why people need to think that there's life after death...I get why it's easier to believe we'll see our loved ones again...I know why we need to think that everything happens for a reason and all of our tough times are just tests to see how strong we are, but it's not something I can get on board with.  Yes, everything happens for a reason...a scientific reason.  I believe that your life is made up of the choices you make and the choices that other people make.  It's not laid out for you or pre-determined; there's no such thing as "destiny" or "fate."  Life is what it is and our lives are open for us to do and be whatever we want. 
In my recent readings of the first book of the Bible ("Genesis") I've come across so many things that not only made me pretty angry, but also left me with more questions than answers.  I can't believe how much murder and incest and other crazy shenanigans are happening so early on in this book.  It blows my mind and genuinely concerns me that people take this as truth.  Unfortunately, I don't have the time to get into the details now, but I think I've given a pretty good example of what to expect from my blog.  I won't hold back my opinions, but I'll try my hardest to word them in a way that doesn't offend.  So, buckle your seatbelt and hang on, because I have a feeling you're in for a crazy ride (at least it feels that way in my head!).  Thanks for coming along and enjoy!