I don't like to talk about religion because I live in the Bible Belt. In my experience, this means that when I tell people I don't believe in God, I am asked if I am atheist or agnostic. Because I have to be one or the other, right? Or am I a straight up devil worshipper? They are all kind of the same, right? I could easily argue that Judaism, Catholicism, and Christianity are all the same. You all believe in the same god, right?
But I don't. Because I'm not an idiot.
Religion is one of those strange topics that people get up in arms about. So I don't bring it up. Because I don't have a box for that. What do I mean by box, you ask? It's simple really.
Society defines every person, everyone you know by putting them in boxes. We have a box for everything because for some reason, we as a people have to have every little thing organized in our minds. Everything has to make sense. Everything has to have a neat label and sit on the correct shelf. This is how modern day society functions.
You have boxes for religion, politics, and race. You even have boxes for sexual preference and mental/behavioral problems.
You can't just be an energetic kid. You are ADHD. You can't just be attracted to men and women. You have to be bisexual. If you like gaming and anime, you are a nerd. If you like sports and exercise, you are a jock. Introvert, extrovert, Democrat, Republican, girly-girl, tomboy; the labels go on and on.
But what about those of us that don't fit neatly into your specific boxes? I'm not able to keep myself in one box, I kind of leak out from time to time. Not necessarily switching boxes, getting a new label, but kind of outside, on the shelf. I've never been very good at keeping a label.
What if my skin color doesn't determine what music I listen to or who I hang out with? What if I feel more like a guy today than a chick? What if I want to go out with friends and party then come home, curl up with a book and be by myself for a few days? What if I just don't have a religion?
We've all been brainwashed with this idea. Even I have, hence my fear of talking about religion with people. I have put religious people in the "closed-minded" box just because I had a couple bad experiences some time ago. But I know I'm wrong. The entire idea is wrong but we cling to it because otherwise, it's all chaos. And people are terrified of chaos.
This is exactly why the people who don't fit into these boxes are feared and hated. A white person that is a Muslim? No, those boxes don't coincide. That is different therefore it is wrong. A football star who would rather stay home on the weekend, painting? That is too unusual.
These boxes, these labels, this is why there is hate. Why there is bullying. We expect certain people to act a certain way and if they don't... well they are freaks!
Don't try to box me. Don't try to define me by labels and expect me to act the way a person who looks or talks the way I do should. I'm going to surprise you.
I tend to make a mess with my box leaking.
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