Reflections on turning 44 as a full-fledged liberal

Horse with no Name

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Jan-10-07 07:33 PM
Original message

Reflections on turning 44 as a full-fledged liberal

Tomorrow is my birthday. I will turn 44. When I turned 21...I thought that was a benchmark. When I hit 30...I remember staying in bed all day eating chocolate and crying with my best friend. 40 was marked by finding out that my teenager was pregnant with my first grandchild.
However, it seems 44 will be my magical year. For the first time in my life, I feel I have achieved my full-fledged Liberal wings.
For the majority of my adult years, I haven't cared about politics. I didn't know--or even care--which friends were Republicans and which were Democrats. Didn't really seem important.
I have not voted more than I have voted...it just didn't seem important.
I think about all of the things that I have taken for granted in my life, never thinking it could all change at the whim of one crazy man and his crazed followers.
I never really thought that abortion would ever be a right that could be taken away. I took for granted that smarter minds prevailed when it was made legal and never gave it a second thought.
I never really thought about the death penalty. After all, these people were guilty...right? They had their day in court. I think the first time it hit me that it was just WRONG was when Karla Faye Tucker was pleading for her life. I thought she could do a lifetime of good to make up for her lifetime of bad. Killing her was just wrong...which led to the obvious argument that killing anyone was wrong.
I used to be proud of being a Christian. I was re-baptized just 8 years ago and I was happy. Very happy. I never missed Church. Then, I noticed fundy ideas creeping into our sermons that made me uncomfortable.
I can tell you exactly what the last sermon that I attended entailed.
The subject was that women were expected to fulfill their husbands sexual needs regardless of their own feelings. It was even said that if a husband was forced to masturbate, that you were a really bad wife and God was disappointed. I stayed through the sermon, however, I haven't set foot in a church since.
Most of my views have changed...and some ideas that started out radical have mellowed and some that started out mellow have been radicalized.
People that I never knew existed a few short years ago...have changed my views in what I feel is for the best.
Al Gore, Cindy Sheehan, Howard Dean...to name a few.
I also have a newfound respect for some that have been around for years. Namely Jimmy Carter.
I found huge disappointments in some that I held to a higher regard.
I won't mention names here because it will only start a flame fest and this isn't my point here.
I hope this magical year brings peace and change. Those are the only gifts that I would like.

Every night I say a prayer in the hope that there's a heaven

And every day I'm more confused as the saints turn into
sinners

All the heroes and legends I knew as a child have fallen to
idols of clay

And I feel this empty place inside so afraid that I've lost my
faith

Show me the way, show me the way

Take me tonight to the river

And wash my illusions away

Show me the way

And as I slowly drift to sleep, for a moment dreams are
sacred

I close my eyes and know there's peace in a world so filled with
hatred

That I wake up each morning and turn on the news to find we've
so far to go

And I keep on hoping for a sign, so afraid that I just won't
know

Show me the way, Show me the way

Take me tonight to the mountain

And wash my confusion away

And if I feel light, should I believe

Tell me how will I know

Show me the way, show me the way

Take me tonight to the river

And wash my illusions away

Show me the way, show me the way

Give me the strength and the courage

To believe that I'll get there someday

Show me the way

Every night I say a prayer

In the hope that there's a heaven...

Show me the way....by Styx