matinee

brendan gave me a postsecret book for christmas. i was very excited about it. my family had never heard of it, so i explained the premise to them. i was happy to introduce them to such a great project, and i read a few outloud, and after the third one my mom went "awh" in shock (she's easy to offend). as i read thru it i developed a suspicion that my family, specially my mom would not like postsecret. it left me puzzling about it. i love postsecret, i appreciate the honesty, and humaness, and the glimpses into the lives of others. i love that it pulls at my heartstrings and draws out compassion and sympathy for people who are so obviously hurting.

in my puzzling i got thinking about morality and ethics. ethics are not something i heard much about growing up, and didn't really enter my radar until my late-20s. at this point i put a lot of weight on ethics. for me it's an outward expression of love. it's human rights, it's equality, it's fighting for the vulnerable and needy. i also thought about morality. while i believe in morals, and i strive to be a moral person, i don't place importance on other peoples morals. meaning that regardless of a person's word or deed i still feel compelled to love them. treat them as human, and with respect. i remember having a hypothetical conversation with beck where i told her that if she killed someone i'd still love her and visit her in prison. i find it important to remember that people are so much more than their mistakes. being focused on morality seems more like a hindrance than anything else.

as usual, when i'm pondering new ideas i think of jesus. i skim my memory and think if anything he said disagrees with what i'm thinking. kind of cross-referencing so to speak. it made me conclude that jesus is not caught up in morality either. when asked about sin he said "he who is without sin cast the first stone". God does call us to be holy, but that's less about morality and more about clearing the way for us to know him. sin is a barrier in itself, but it doesn't disqualify us from God's love. in addition, i feel that being a moral person leads to being healthy and well-balanced. that good life-decisions lead to the best end result. i guess because of that i feel that i'm not in the position to decide what are good decisions for other people.

i kind of concluded that morality is personal journey, and ethics is an outward expression of love.

i'm thankful for being taught to love without fear and condemnation.
i hope that love will grow in me, and that it will multiply ten-fold.
i hope that maybe, just maybe, others will learn the difference between loving and condoning, and in turn will love and love and love without boundaries.
and i hope that my love will arrive on people's doorsteps in times when they need it, and that it will make a positive difference.

home is when I'm alone with you.