I like it. I like where I live. Low crime. People are relatively friendly, as most christians on a normal basis are. Easy parking because the street where I live is comprised mainly of houses with big lots, so everyone has plenty of driveway and street parking - which is really saying something if you're familiar with Los Angeles and parking. No street sweeping on my street. Amazing! (Los Angelinos will testify that's one of the most annoying things about parking on Los Angeles streets.)
But this blog is not about living nor parking in Los Angeles.
This is what strikes me as odd. And let me preface this by acknowledging that hypocrisy is not new nor is it uncommon among christians. I realize I'm opening a can of worms here, so I'll minimize said worm-can by focusing on one single aspect of the hypocrisy I observed today.
I was raised methodist, in a very liberal church with parents who are minimally dogmatic and religious. Whew! I'm glad for that to be honest. Our home methodist church was the first in my hometown to publicly welcome gay people into the congregation (I believe it was in the 90s!). That's what I mean by liberal (Unitarian and Science of Mind were non-existent at the time in my hometown, fyi).
Anyway, here's what I noticed:
The McDonald's about half a mile from where I live is always packed on Sundays. Presumably (based on the attire and bible-carting of those entering and exiting) the majority of patrons are Church-goers eating breakfast before or after church.
I get the whole Sunday meal after church. I really liked our Sunday family brunch after church, in fact I liked it more than church as a child I found most sermons horribly boring. It was great family time and the food was always fantastic (both of my parents cook pretty well, another Whew! for me).
But here's the hypocrisy. You're devoutly going to church every Sunday with your family, feeding your spiritual self, your soul, your religious needs, but then to feed your physical needs, you're going to the lowest common denominator in a meager attempt to satisfy those needs. McDonalds.
I think there have been studies that dog food has more nutritional value than McDonald's food.
I just made that up.
At least I don't have a source for that so let's pretend I made it up.
But anyone who's seen Supersize Me or who has heard about how a McDonald's burger can be left out for months without any kind of decomposition or sign of being a living food (I personally know a chiropractor who did this - flies wouldn't even touch the thing!), knows that McDonalds food is some of the lowest, nutritionally, on the whole human hierarchy of food.
It just seems hypocritical to nurture and feed your spiritual self on a regular basis, but to then nurture and feed your body with some truly shitty food.
It's the same hypocrisy that is currently rampant in our government about veterans.
There's a TON of political espousing about the soldiers and their sacrifice and extreme value and honor...
Yet when they come home, we don't take care of them. It's as if the United States is telling these men and women, based on how they're treated at VA hospitals throughout the country, that we don't have time for you; we were full of shit when we told you how important and valuable you are to our country.
It makes me sad and more than that, it pisses me off.
I have friends in the military. I have a large soft spot for military personnel. Maybe it's having close person friends who are active, maybe it's because I was escorted onto the amphibian base on Coronado Island to teach Pilates to a bunch of Navy Seals (that was a trip but will expound on that in a future blog) years ago when living in San Diego. These guys were great and perfect gentleman to me, the only outsider and only female.
But the point isn't about my past adventures with military personnel or teaching Pilates. I just think the hypocrisy should stop. If you say you support the troops, and say you value and honor the veterans, then you should do it.
Give them what they signed up for - which was health care as part of the package of being in the military and giving up certain freedoms.
Do and say what you mean. Mean what you say and do. But for christ's sakes, don't pretend and speak platitudes only to contradict yourself to virtually every service member seeking medical help once they're home from war. None of the soldiers choose the war they were sent to, that was done by men in big-ass mahogany desks who have plenty of health and medical coverage and who are often trying to maximize economic benefits via war.
Maybe memorial day should also be the day when we remember not only the fallen soldiers, but also the promises we (the royal "we" as in the american government/people) have made to the soldiers who lived and now need help.
Fuck it. Let's go single-payer and give all Americans access to medical help. It's certainly working in Massachusetts (via "RomneyCare" - what a joke considering he did a 180 on health coverage after finishing his governor-ship of good old Massachusetts), Hawaii and most other industrialized countries.
To veterans. I'm so sorry you have to wait over 3 months to get an appointment. I'm sorry on behalf of the government. I wish it were different.
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