My Campfire...Come Sit a Spell

Image from puravidalodge.com.

I was extremely socially awkward as a child. It wasn't that I was even desperate to fit in to various social groups like most youth tend to be. Mostly I just wanted to know where I fit. I definitely didn't belong to any group that came with a laundry list of "conditions". Even at a young age, I was opposed to being shoved into someone else s preconstructed box. I didn't grow out of that, either, it just kept getting stronger. It's funny, too, because when people ask me things like, "Are you a Republican or a Democrat?" or "What is your religion?", they often roll their eyes at my answers.

I am registered under a specific party, but that has absolutely nothing to do with how I vote or even think about politics. I am an American who strongly believes in the core values of our Constitution, which in my mind is one of the greatest documents ever written. I am vehemently opposed to anyone or anything that threatens to take away freedoms I hold in high esteem. I am also adamantly against those who would attack others for their beliefs. So, if you are one of those people who is ready to quickly demean another for their values and/or beliefs, we are on completely opposing sides.

As per my religion, I am a child of the Universe (...yes, I see some of you already rolling your eyes at this). I believe in an all-knowing, all-loving Creator and frankly I don't care what you want to call Him or Her. I think that the greatest achievement of mankind is our capacity for Love, although we often do a piss-poor job of demonstrating it. And when I speak of Love, I mean of our Earth, the Universe we reside in, and each other regardless of age, gender, nationality, or religious affiliation. I am for the betterment of the human race that does not come at the expense of one another or our planet. If you are the kind of person that tears people or things down for your own growth/purposes, we are very much on opposite sides.

As I watch the world "out there" going on around me, from the presidential race here in the United States, to our dealings with the world and each other, it is apparent that I am still pretty socially awkward. I see all of these "camps" (i.e. schools of thought) and refuse to put my little lawn chair by the fire of any one of them. I KNOW I can't be the only one who feels this way. Perhaps what I need to do is just start my own camp of like-minded people who are on board with things like, "live and let live", "do no harm", and "we are all brothers and sisters in this great big Universe we live in." Y'all want to come sit by MY fire? Bring a chair! I'll get the fixins for s'mores!