Random Thoughts

Blogging has become difficult for me as of late. I used to be so sure of my opinions, my convictions and the older I get the more I learn that life is really 100 shades of grey and not black and white. I have been so busy lately and when I say that, I don't mean in the running around I have so many physical things going kind of busy. I don't know if this is a woman thing, but busy for me is strictly based on what is going on in my mind. I find the emotional and mental side of life much more taxing than the physical. It's hard for me to organize myself while my mind is racing about certain things. For example, I may be trying to make sense of certain situations and I can't relax until things in my mind are reconciled. I am a worrier. I worry about things and people that aren't even around me and they have no idea or they don't care.  I have this need to understand things and people completely! and at times it's overwhelming. Such is life, and so it is that I break with people and routines. I need calm and quiet to hear the things I long for. So here I am writing. My thoughts have turned to politics today. How uneventful is that?
I find the political rhetoric on both sides childish. And trust me, I'm a child. I am as immature as a pre-pubescent teen at times so I don't mean to sound sanctimonious. I get frustrated with the same issues that really aren't issues becoming major issues. If the Republicans are going to continue to make immigration an issue, they will lose. Ann Coulter is WRONG. No one in America cares and they will continue to alienate a voting base of minorities that tend to live a more traditional lifestyle and would embrace the party if it weren't for the continued buffoonery called immigration reform. Put it in the gay marriage aisle and LET IT GO. Obama has taken this country into a state of emergency and I say that with complete resolve. Our economy is HORRIBLE.  How much did you spend at the grocery store the last time you went? I have a family of 3 and it's NEVER less than 100 dollars for 3 DAYS of groceries. The Presidents commitment to the military is disturbing. The military has suffered and shrunk worse than the value of the dollar. America is not as strong as we once were and that concerns the hell out of me. We live in a country where people are more concerned with obesity than an anemic economy that has weakened a nation almost to the point of starvation. The economic gap is widening. Wages are low. Companies can pay low salaries because the job market is flooded with personnel. What happened to Obama being the President of the poor? He made us all poor. He swayed our attention to silly social issues while he engineered his agenda. His Executive orders are dictatorial at best. But we have gay marriage and a rainbow colored White House. How special.
I am not supporting anyone at this point in the election. I feel for the Republican candidates who have to bow to a ridiculous party platform and an even more ridiculous alignment with Donald ya hump(see Dave Letterman).
Fox News the only conservative based television news source is more concerned with what religion our candidate belongs to and quite frankly I prefer a candidate that isn't Fox's little bitch. But how can that happen? The candidates have to cower to the trough that feeds them. The ideological cult of personalities that align unsuspecting conservatives into Libertarian values and not traditional American ideals. I have watched unsuspecting conservatives become something other than what America stands for. They follow the "founding fathers" and "constitutional" bullshit as though that is who Libertarians are. No. Libertarians are the WORST part of EACH major party. The worst part of the Republicans and the worst part of the Democrats......and the Democrats have no good parts. If you have fallen prey to Fox's definition of conservatism, then you have clung to a beast that is worse for our country than that of this incompetent administration. This is where I'm at. Ending sentences with prepositions no less. But hear this, I will not support the ridiculous ideology thrown at me by Fox News. And that goes for you Democrats. Pull your heads out of the ass of Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow and see what is right in front of you. A BIG FAT AMERICAN MESS, thanks to our historically acclaimed first black President. He is THE WORST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY. Now back to my regularly scheduled program of mind inquisition. I'll be back.....

https://youtu.be/5LN23qErZDM

Mormons and GAY MARRIAGE

Politics is really one of those topics that people read or talk about with one eye open and the other eye looking elsewhere for an escape. Why should I post continual status updates on social media to let out the aggravations in my brain? It's annoying and quite frankly, I deserve to be unfriended if I do such things. The last few weeks or months there has been a myriad of political happenings that have gotten my girdle in a knot. Let's talk about the rainbow brite gorilla in the room.  This is how I feel, think or however you want me to say it, about gay marriage. I. Don't. Care. Honestly, I don't. I think this issue is so over-dramatized and people who have hitched their wagon to such a stupid cause are jack wagons themselves. I am so happy that this argument is OVER. Mormons can move on. Gays can move on. Democrats can stop buying votes and actually make policy on something that matters. Now before you all get butt hurt because I am a Mormon and think that automatically makes me a homophobe, listen up. Let me state for the record that I support the church's stand on marriage. In layman terms the church's stand is nothing more than that of a RELIGION. Religions tend to shoot for the ideal. Those insane Mormons think the ideal is that the two people who create the baby should raise the baby. This is what this religion feels is best for society. I agree that the greater moral argument is for the traditional family. However, I also know and so do all of you that society is not so black and white. Society is grey. As a CASA(Court Appointed Special Advocate) worker I recommended a foster child be adopted by a gay couple. This is what was best for this child. I wish this child would have been raised by his biological parents in a loving home. But he wasn't. His foster parents to me weren't gay or straight, this was not the question. They were a happy couple that took care of a child in need. God bless them! They were so good to this child and I felt so good leaving him in their care. The world is grey, but don't be angry at a church that strives for something better. Heteros have absolutely messed up big time in the marriage department and I'm not here saying Mormons have perfect lives or marriages. Far from it. But a church that shoots for the mediocre is no church at all. Biologically speaking, babies should be raised by their parents and gay marriage doesn't in anyway threaten that, but the church needs to stress the importance of it. I support all my friends who choose to be married, gay or straight. I support my friends who choose to NOT be married, gay or straight. I support my friends who are "shacking up". It makes no difference to me. If you are nice to me and accept me for who I AM, then I will do the same. What I do not accept is people bashing on gays, Mormons or any other religious organization. I'm not sure who bugged me the worst on facebook, the Religion bashers or the Mormons posting what some general authority said about gay marriage. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. People have agency to live their lives the way they choose. To me what makes you a bad person is the way you treat people, especially when you disagree. That tells me a lot about you. The only thing I ask now that marriage equality is the law of the land is that can you please start voting Republican since a more traditional lifestyle has been adopted?? Oh and for the love of all things holy, quit being like sheep and take down your skittles profile pictures!!
You don't have to agree with any church or political philosophy that I believe, that doesn't offend me. I understand and am genuinely happy for all those who now feel liberated and accepted for who they are. THAT to me is far more important than any contract that you choose to enter into. We are individuals. I hate some Mormons and love my gay friends dearly and vice versa. I have atheist friends who are the COOLEST people I know.  People are who they are and I know Mormons who are going to be shocked by who they run into in the "Celestial Kingdom".
I don't believe that this issue needs to create a rift among people and unfortunately it has. Hopefully we all can begin healing and move on to bigger societal issues. I find the only thing that makes me cringe among Mormons and some political activists is a self-righteous attitude that you are more picked on or better than anyone else. I don't know anyone, ANYONE, gay, straight, black, white, skinny, fat, old, young, rich, poor, smart or dumb who doesn't have shit in their life to deal with. Be a friend. Don't be a bumper sticker or a Mormon ad. We all have shit. Let's quit acting like some have it more or less than anyone else.  PEACE OUT.

LOVE IS PERFECTION

One of the main desires of my life has been to know truth. For some reason, maybe it's a God given gift or some sort of curse, I have always sought to understand certain things. Those things come with a direct correlation to things I care about. If I don't care, I won't understand and I won't seek out guidance. And by guidance I mean guidance by a spiritual source. This blog though political in nature will absolutely address natural law and things of a spiritual and religious nature. Natural law by definition is the doctrine that human affairs should be governed by ethical principles that are part of the very nature of things and that can be understood by reason. These principles are universal and lend to the condition that we must create a society based on ethics vs. what society determines is important. In other words, it doesn't matter if society deems a certain behavior acceptable, natural law is bound by universal truth, not human desires. However, there is a place that I like to call a blind spot. A place that both temporal and natural law don't consider. That blind spot is inexplicitly God and his love for us.
Break time. This post is way more serious than I ever like or want to be. But bear with me while I get out my thoughts.
I believe that all people are on a continued search for a feeling that left us when we were born to this earth. Before we came here, we knew truth, we knew each other and most importantly we FELT pure, perfect LOVE. And now we are searching for what is missing, perfect love. It doesn't matter if you are religious and believe you know all the answers or if you believe science has those answers. There is a blind spot. Science may explain somewhat the need for love among humans and religion explains it to a point, but religion relies heavily on condition and science ignores emotion. Both flawed answers and both not fulfilling the need in it's complete form. And I say that as a religious person. I love my church, but dare I say that Mormons have a long way to go in learning about what the pure love of Christ truly is and should be. People from other religions can speak for themselves, but for me I feel that a lot of LDS folks preach the atonement but hate when Mormons have to use it. They live such perfect lives that they themselves never need to experience that oneness with the Savior.  I have actually heard Mormons profess guilt for "giving the Savior some of His pain" on the cross. This is false and a foolish tradition.
How do we feel the pure love of the Savior? I'll get to that.
While we are in this school of life, we are essentially on a quest for truth and love. As infants psychology has taught us that attachment is the most important experience for a baby. Without this first love experience comes a myriad of emotional issues. Love and bonding before diaper changes, nursing and bathing is the most important development in childhood. Without this most individuals go throughout life trying to justify self love and act out inappropriately out of confusion and pain. Without attachment and parental validation, humans turn to society to see how it is they can be loved by others. Some lash out and inflict pain on others because of anger, pain and emptiness.
What does society tell us? To be loved you must be attractive, thin, have big muscles, drive a nice car etc etc. You must have a lot of money. You must have great talent and ability. You will be sexually desired by many and therefore sex becomes love and the list goes on and on. I don't want this to be a topic about sex, but let's just say society has merged sex and love. The better looking you are, the more loved you will be. It is a lifetime of disappointment and a quest for temporary fulfillment and fraud. Some people even equate God's love with these things because if you have them then you are "blessed" a term used by many to denote privilege in God's eyes.
Again, how do we feel the pure love of the Savior? The scriptures tell us to "Be ye therefore perfect." I would say most religious people have a checklist of commandments personal or otherwise that they think makes them perfect. They are perfect tithe payers, perfect church attenders, perfect in their behavior, their language, temple attendance, visiting teaching etc. etc. All important things. But not what the Savior meant. I believe he meant, Be ye therefore perfect even as I am....in love.
More than anything our fellow men need to feel our love for them. They need to feel the love they have been missing since arriving on our great planet. This is when we lose each other in our congregations. When we stop feeling the love we long for everyday of our lives AT CHURCH, we go elsewhere and continue our search. Are we at church to be seen or to uplift? Are we at church to announce each others sins or to become one with Christ and his Atonement?  It's great that Mormons are so perfect in their obedience, but when will they strive for perfection in their love for others? I see a lot of LDS people posting their picture perfect lives and not enough hey I live in the gutter sometimes too, posts.
There are those who are starving for pure love. There are those who will say that we are human and aren't capable of divine love. I disagree. We are commanded to be like Christ. I don't recall Christ calling out the Roman soldier before he healed his child. To the contrary, he knew his heart and how great his faith was. He healed his child and never questioned the worthiness of the soldier. Each of us, Mormon, non-religious or atheist is in charge of helping our fellow beings feel love. This is the closest thing to heaven that we can offer. With pure love comes great power and change.
We will feel the love of the Savior by being like him. We can mirror his actions.
I think in this world feeling the pure love of Christ comes in flashes and in moments. It is a constant striving. We are in a state of spiritual death and searching for the comfort of God. Our souls long to be with him and while we are here we are asked to help each other feel that love.
Now this is far more squishy than I ever want to be. But it's on my mind. We need not be perfect to feel the love of God. And when you feel it on occasion, you know it. Perhaps there are things in your life that make you feel far away from this love, but know it is not God who is away.
I'm not preaching because I am the great lover of people. I am not. I will be the first to say I love who I want and shun who I believe is a certain way. This is for me. What I am working on. What I need. What I am trying to understand. I don't fully understand why I feel the way I do about certain things. I want to know the Savior better and so this is where I am heading. It's a difficult thing to offer this to some and have it completely rejected. And so I feel what God feels. His love is rejected on a global scale and now I have a portion of divine empathy or so I suppose, but that is a different story.....

Welcome to the Blog

Let's just say it's been a while since I ventured into blogging. The last go around went pretty good (or well, bleh) and then I fell off the earth for many reasons. The last election was super painful, more painful than the first Obama win. I'll get into that later. Right now I want to explain the blog theme and hopefully generate a little interest in what I am doing here, if not, that's OK too. A good friend reminded me that the blog isn't about other people, it's about me. My thoughts. My opinions. My life. My story. My journey....me. That may sound like a generation X self-absorbed gym rat, or a millennial narcissist and for that, I apologize. I welcome all who want to join in, whether you agree with me or not is up to you. We all have our differing opinions and that is a good thing. What I want to convey on this blog is the conclusion that I have come to regarding life, politics, American culture and the big taboo, religion. The reason I call it Political Rehab is because I do think sometimes we are addicted to what is comfortable to us. Whether that is a certain thought process or extreme allegiance to a political party or philosophy, it can be crippling. The 12 step program includes God or some higher power and I also intend to express my views regarding God. That doesn't mean I am here to preach. To the contrary. I hate preaching. I will only express what I find to be the truth. My truth does not invalidate your truth, nor do I consider it a universal truth....unless it is. This is a place of discussion, not correction. Clarity over agreement. Not superior thoughts or information. Like my other blog, I am not a news source. This is commentary. I believe that the political system is so corrupt in America that I needed a place to express my frustration. I don't care what political party you align yourself with, that party is a monster of corruption. I don't want to opine with such righteous indignation that I put myself over people who believe whole-heartedly in their causes. I want people to understand that their complete marriage to certain ideas has created a blind and narrow and dare I say dangerous devotion. It's created an addiction to emotional concepts and marketing ploys instead of to truth and competency.  If a leader professes to support your strongly held belief, they will have your undying support. No. Stop the madness. This blog is here to ween you off your devotion to lame stupid causes that hinder your view of the bigger picture. I'm not saying I'm the answer. I'm saying let's talk each other off the LSD ledge. I chose LSD because it's a hallucinogen.  Our illusions seem so real! AND Please understand that convictions are more important than ANYTHING. This is not a place to break down your convictions, nor do I intend to challenge a deeply held religious or philosophical belief. THAT is not my intention. This is strictly challenging the minute that is unexplainably become a distraction. Hold on to your convictions, whatever they may be. But open your mind, just a little. For example: gay marriage. This cause has given us the worst President in history. Social issue voters were so "married" to this cause that they devoted themselves to a fraud. More on that. Social issues in my opinion, should not be a consideration in FEDERAL elections. Let the states decide. Now we have a federal monster telling us all how to live based on marriage views and women's vagina's. Marry your dog and put him on your benefits at work....I DON'T CARE. Let's get some smart people in the White House. I feel your scope creeping up my cavity Barry. Thanks, social voters.
And a side note. I am a Mormon, and I will be talking about my religion and culture in an honest and informative way. I am not a spokesperson for the Church. So before you go telling everyone what Mormons think based on my words, know that I'm every woman, but I am not every Mormon. Assume nothing. Right on people! Let's make some blog babies!