Keep Telling Myself...Yes, You Are Allowed To Think On Your own

I am not afraid to admit that I have been doing some online therapy chats with a therapist lately, and I am not ashamed of it. I think we all get those "Winter Blues" and to be honest I spent most of the winter fighting it off, meaning I was fighting not to fall into it.

It's just the thing when you can feel it mentally and physically, you know it and just getting exhausted fighting it. 

One of the things that is shared in my online therapy chats is that I control my surroundings, I can be me, and think what is best for me and do things that I find peace and happiness in life. 

There is a stigma in today's world where some feel you are expected to feel a certain way because of who you are, where you live, kind of job you have, etc. It's not fair to be put in a box with certain labels or expectations because of who you are as an individual needs to conform to a specific ideology. 

Probably the best example is because I prefer guys over girls in dating and such, that I must conform to certain standards. Such as I need to have rainbows on me, on my car, etc. I have to be liberal in my political thinking, and push an agenda where I may disagree with some of the thinking and overall attitude on various topics.

A common word being used today is "gaslighting." See this more when people make comments through social media, reading a slanted story, or just in conversation. For me, I usually take a cynical side whenever I read something that appears to be something in the area of gaslighting.

Let me preface something before I give an example. My way of thinking is more on the moderate/conservative side. The way how I grew up is when everything in my life had to be earned and not just simply handed to me. At the same time, there are times where people do go out of their way to handing you something, and for them that makes them feel good, and we have to make sure we give the appreciation in return. The words "Thank you" means a lot more than some think it does.

There are times where I will disagree with a thought or opinion. Yet some will think that because I am gay that I have to go along with everything in the LGBT movement.

Yes, I am happy gay marriage is legal and I honestly don't feel that our current President will take that away as some people are gaslighting today. 

My rationale in my thinking is like this. Our current President appointed a person and was approved by the Senate to be the Secretary of the Treasury. Our new treasury secretary is gay, married and has two kids. He also has a special envoy who is also gay, who recently saw over the release of six USA citizens from El Salvador. 

Knowing at least these two things, do I really believe that our President is going to sign an executive order or sign a bill outlawing gay marriage? I think not, and I don't apologize for what I feel is common sense. 

Instead, I think our President is doing things to take things out of the hands of the Government and stop these demands that everyone is forced to accept something they don't believe in. It's part of the freedom we exercise in this country. People should be allowed to think independently. 

In fact, I have said this before with a lot of LGBT issues, the constant question that should be asked is, "How does this personally affect you?"  

Many times people fight battles that really doesn't affect them, other than the fact they don't agree with it. You may not agree, but respect the people that do and don't become an unnecessary roadblock in their lives.

While your church feels that gay marriage or anything gay is sinful, it doesn't mean it has to be shut down. If you personally don't agree with it, great, that is your personal feeling and you shouldn't force others to feel that way. 

For myself, I grew up going to a Lutheran grade school and high school. I am still a christian today, I pray the Lord's prayer every day to ask for forgiveness, and I do think there is a place for me in Heaven because Jesus died on the cross to take away the mortal sins especially one noted in Leviticus 18:22. I am still waiting for someone to tell me that I am excluded in John 3:16.

Many times, people's perception of things is based on stereotypical thinking. 

Oh no, we can't have people in drag reading books to children in the library. Why? Well the stereotypical thinking is they have a mental identity issue or are pedophiles. I don't recall the clown world getting shut down after what John Wayne Gacy did back in the day.

So a man is overdressed as a woman with a gigantic wig, and that is disturbing. I thought Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis looked more disturbing as women in "Some Like it Hot."

Wouldn't it be funny that youth reading went up because of people in drag reading stories to young kids who may just look at them as a cartoon or comic book character? Sorry Spiderman, you are out from reading books to kids.

What I am getting at, is do your own homework. Take the time to learn more about something and look at both sides of the argument. Today's social media world is causing us to not take time to think, but instantly react.

While people are screaming at what Elon Musk is exposing and think its not right, at the same time we are learning a lot.  How much to fund Sesame Street in Iraq?

It's ok to think on your own and not fall into this stereotypical track that because you are this, you have to think that attitude. As you can see there are some things I agree and some things I don't agree under the life an supposedly labeled in. 

Let me leave you with this perspective when it comes to gay marriage. While you may disagree with it or agree, the late singer/songwriter Kinky Friedman was once running for Governor in Texas in 2006. He was asked about gay marriage and he left us with a thought that both sides should ponder and think about as to whether or not it personally affects your life. 

"I support gay marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us." - Kinky Friedman