Lent

Lent: For this year, I'd like to try and stop talking about people behind their backs. That's right, I gossip just as much as the next person. I want to see if I can will myself out of this bad habit.

Most of you who follow the religious calendar, you will notice that it will be Ash Wednesday this week. Yes I am using Lent as an excuse to redeem myself into a better person, but at the same time, it forces me to practice some self-control, with the idea that breaking a "promise" made for the next 40 days will be "a greater sin against God".

I'm already creating a controversy by writing this post at all. First off, I consider myself somewhat religious. Yes, I pray, and yes, I believe that there is a God that is out there somewhere that watches over us and possibly allow things to happen for a reason. I have to confess I have a fear of the super religious. Sometimes I don't know whether to feel intimidated or hypocritical. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against those that follow the Bible word for word, nor do I have a problem with those that want to preach the teachings of their church to the public...just don't flaunt it shamelessly and then try to convert others.

This reminded me of an incident that happened last week. I was sitting in Aldrich Park and was trying to relax for the next half hour before my last class. I took no notice of anyone around me except for these two girls that started to approach me. Confused, I was hoping they were really walking the wrong direction and wanted to ask me for help. Instead they both stood there with plastered smiles, hoping I'd give them the time of day and take off my headphones to let them talk to me. I look at my watch, 20 minutes left, "Hell, why not".

They introduced themselves as (I can't remember their names), Person A and Person B from Church X. I already knew where this was going, but for some reason I didn't say no. I was hoping they were going to talk about some social event their church was going to hold sometime soon, but instead these girls decided to sit on both sides of me to teach me about the ways of God. This annoyed me because I know these type of people already assume that "everyone has lost their way with the Lord and deserves to be led back" and what not. I don't see how different they are from the rest of us, they have no right to do something like that.

Person A decides to read me the little yellow pamphlet she was holding. She literally read word for word from this, I would have been happy with a summary. And no, this did not take "5 minutes" like they promised. Halfway through "establishing a better path to a religious life" and a prayer, I got fed up. I finally said that I was in fact, Catholic and religious. Of course the reactions of the girls were surprised and then excitedly asked how my church went about their ways and what prayers we said. It took them 2 minutes to factor out that me being Catholic wasn't as equal as them being super religious.

I excused and white-lied myself out of the presentation and said I had class soon. Both Person A and B shake hands with me and assures me I have "friends" I can count on, earning me two phone numbers (wow!) that if I had any questions or needed someone to talk to, they were the people to go to.

This wasn't some hotline and should not be treated as so and I'm not lost. I'm perfectly fine about where I am. I don't need to be another clone. Religion for me has always been through my personal interpretation, otherwise I'd be brainwashed and wouldn't be able to think for myself through a religious perspective.