Friends there's no escaping the bigotry and the hatred, nor the scornful glares of those people who think their purported moral superiority transcends basic human decency. Even a mild dose of this bullshit is enough to ratchet my mood from slightly anxious to seething cynicism.
An anecdote to highlight my frustration:
Yesterday at a gathering of friends my wife and I shared a conversation with a youngish grandmother, aged around 50 or so.
The event was to commemorate the recovery of a neighbor's daughter whose foot had been crushed in a car accident. The injured girl was projected to be off her feet completely for 20 weeks and at just over 10 was able to hobble around with a brace on.
Sunshine and the cool sweat-covered drinks made the affair pleasant and calm. Though most of those in attendance were strangers I felt like I was in the company of friends. Now the young grandmother was interested in sharing stories of travel and adventure.
She talked about a 6 week journey across 30 states with her grandparents. We spoke of the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas on the honey moon. We shared with this woman the taste of noodle soup in Bangkok, the mangrove swamps of Costa Rica, our various trips to Europe and a certain midnight stroll across the dark continent.
As we shared I made an off hand remark that our honeymoon was last year. Our two and a half year old daughter ran around on the grass making people smile and soaking up attention like a sponge, as usual. The wheels began to turn in the head of our fellow story teller and rather than have her struggle with the implications I explained.
"We were only married last year, and Alex was born before that."
Straight, simple and perfectly mundane.
"But is she your daughter or?" The woman asked.
"As far as I know," I joked. Her expression turned sour and she did not laugh.
From that moment the lady who had spoken with us, who had been delighted to hear about our lives turned utterly indifferent and quickly shifted her attentions to every other party guest EXCEPT for my self, my wife and our daughter.
This is why atheists get angry at christians.
An anecdote to highlight my frustration:
Yesterday at a gathering of friends my wife and I shared a conversation with a youngish grandmother, aged around 50 or so.
The event was to commemorate the recovery of a neighbor's daughter whose foot had been crushed in a car accident. The injured girl was projected to be off her feet completely for 20 weeks and at just over 10 was able to hobble around with a brace on.
Sunshine and the cool sweat-covered drinks made the affair pleasant and calm. Though most of those in attendance were strangers I felt like I was in the company of friends. Now the young grandmother was interested in sharing stories of travel and adventure.
She talked about a 6 week journey across 30 states with her grandparents. We spoke of the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas on the honey moon. We shared with this woman the taste of noodle soup in Bangkok, the mangrove swamps of Costa Rica, our various trips to Europe and a certain midnight stroll across the dark continent.
As we shared I made an off hand remark that our honeymoon was last year. Our two and a half year old daughter ran around on the grass making people smile and soaking up attention like a sponge, as usual. The wheels began to turn in the head of our fellow story teller and rather than have her struggle with the implications I explained.
"We were only married last year, and Alex was born before that."
Straight, simple and perfectly mundane.
"But is she your daughter or?" The woman asked.
"As far as I know," I joked. Her expression turned sour and she did not laugh.
From that moment the lady who had spoken with us, who had been delighted to hear about our lives turned utterly indifferent and quickly shifted her attentions to every other party guest EXCEPT for my self, my wife and our daughter.
This is why atheists get angry at christians.
