When I started this blog it was my intention to try and make
the world a little brighter by some really awesome, thought-provoking quotes.
Recently however, a friend of mind mentioned that I should actually write
something, you know, from my brain. And, up until recently, I didn’t have the
time to consider what to write about, or any ideas of where to start thinking
of a topic.
And then, Chick-Fil-A decided to have a ‘National Eat At Chick-Fil-A Day’ in support of traditional marriage. Of
course, at first, this had little bearing on this blog. But
the more I’ve thought about this and the more I’ve seen on Facebook and the
news I decided this was an interesting and pretty thought-provoking topic.
It should be noted here that this will not be the place
where I word-vomit all my thoughts and feelings about the whole thing. Nor will
it be left against right; conservative versus liberal; he said, she said; you’re
wrong, I’m right entry. What it will be is a glimpse at what this event and the
many others on both sides, means for making decisions and taking a stand.
Somebody once told me that when it comes to controversial topics
you have to pick a side if you want anyone to pay attention to you. If you know
anything about me, and I am assuming if you are reading this, you know a great
deal about me, you’ll know that my question in response to this statement was something
along the lines of, uhm, why?!
So here I am, days after the president of Chick-Fil-A, who is a well-known Christian, decides that he
should use his fast food restaurant to finally voice his opinion about
marriage, and I am wondering how to make sense of it because there are a lot of
things that are going through my mind.
First, I believe in and respect the First Amendment. In case you need a refresher course it reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” And, thanks to the Founding Fathers and the First Amendment, Dan Cathy have every right to say and do as he pleases(within reason, of course :)). In this case, Cathy decided to use his First Amendment rights to express his views through his company. Still okay in my book.
Naturally, since this is all about sides, it makes sense that I have other thoughts going through my brain and that’s where it gets complicated. The other side of this is that I support gay rights. I mean, really, how can I live in this world and believe that any human being should be treated differently because they happen to live a different lifestyle than I do? I can’t do it, so I don’t.
First, I believe in and respect the First Amendment. In case you need a refresher course it reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” And, thanks to the Founding Fathers and the First Amendment, Dan Cathy have every right to say and do as he pleases(within reason, of course :)). In this case, Cathy decided to use his First Amendment rights to express his views through his company. Still okay in my book.
Naturally, since this is all about sides, it makes sense that I have other thoughts going through my brain and that’s where it gets complicated. The other side of this is that I support gay rights. I mean, really, how can I live in this world and believe that any human being should be treated differently because they happen to live a different lifestyle than I do? I can’t do it, so I don’t.
And we come to the question, is it okay to be on both
sides? I say yes. Some may say no. Even more people will probably say they don’t
know. If you say no, your decision making is probably 10 times easier than mine
will ever be. If you say you don’t know, good luck on the search to figuring it
out, let me know how it goes. If you say yes, like me, you’re in for a hell of
a ride that I’m still trying to navigate.
Decision making is much easier when things are clean cut and
straight to the point. But, what fun would that be? Here is the
heart of the issue: how do we pick a side? How can we take a stand when we are straddling
the state line? How do we support people, organizations, businesses, and even,
as crazy as this sounds, religious institutions if all our eggs aren’t in one
basket?
How do we: the universal, left, right, straight, gay, black,
white, female, male, young, old, pro-life, pro-choice, pro-war, anti-death
penalty, pro-healthcare, anti-socialism, religious, atheist, spiritual, employed, working-poor, NRA supporting, ONE Campaign supporting, north, south, east,
west, or any of the other combinations of people, how do we make decisions and
take stands in the gray world we are living in?
Chick-Fil-A will eventually just be a blimp on the radar in the land of controversial topics like Susan G Komen and Kony 2012 and there will certainly be more like it. To some, this might just be a matter of deciding how much you like chicken. But for others, it is something deeper. Now the question for people in any place, on any side of the fence, is in the face of being on both sides, which wins out: one or the other, or both?
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you decide: be okay with it.
Chick-Fil-A will eventually just be a blimp on the radar in the land of controversial topics like Susan G Komen and Kony 2012 and there will certainly be more like it. To some, this might just be a matter of deciding how much you like chicken. But for others, it is something deeper. Now the question for people in any place, on any side of the fence, is in the face of being on both sides, which wins out: one or the other, or both?
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you decide: be okay with it.
