Confusion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Every day I just get more confused. I don’t understand . . .
- why who someone loves and chooses to spend his/her life with makes any difference to other people
- why it matters more who you know than who you are
- why money means more than who you are
- why women are still perceived as not equal
- why men are so afraid of women’s power
- why we are forced to “opt out” rather than “opt in”
- why my body, and what I do with it, has anything to do with anyone but myself and my family
- why there are so many women who support the subjugation of other women (as long as their individual power is not touched, of course)
- why poverty is blamed on the poor, when the system works against them
- why the rich get richer and the middle class disappears
- why racism still exists in a world where the only difference between races is color of skin
- why being different is seen as something bad
- why certain beliefs should be seen as more right than others. I simply don’t believe that. What I believe is what I believe. What you believe is what you believe. And as long as those beliefs don’t hurt each other, that shouldn’t be a problem. But now, it seems that in some belief systems it is perfectly acceptable and encouraged to hurt anyone who believes differently.
- why all the foods that are bad for you taste so good
- why I usually like my nurse practitioners more than I like my doctors
- why I can accomplish more when I have more to do, and I can’t seem to write when I give myself a break from blogging daily.
All these questions and more floated through my head today as I had a sort of surreal medical experience. (Sorry guys, if you don’t want to read about women’s issues, stop here).
I lay on the table at the OB/GYN, legs in stirrups, as my wonderful new Nurse Practitioner exchanged my expired birth control for a new one. Now, that’s not unusual, except that this was happening in the environs of what I assumed was a Catholic hospital.
“Is this a Catholic hospital?” I asked.
“Yes it is.”
“So how are you able to do this?”
“We got special permission. These things can only be done within these four walls,” she said, indicating the small suite of examination rooms we were in. “If you wanted it done in the greater hospital, it couldn’t happen. We don’t even have access to hormones there.”
Surreal, isn’t it?
I suppose the battles between religion vs. science, common sense vs. faith, believers vs. non-believers, owners vs. workers, powerful vs. powerless, etc. will continue on ad infinitum until humankind destroy’s itself completely.
I suppose that makes sense, but I still don’t get it. Can anyone explain?
May 09, 2012 @ 13:36:52
WOW! What a great list of questions! I would love to comment on every one of them, but the comments might take more space than your blog! We should enter into a serious dialogue; we’ve obviously both struggled with many of the same issues throughout our lives. I’m guessing I’ve lived a little longer than you, as I have grandchildren and no longer need birth control. I still do visit my gynocologist (a woman) regularly, though.
May 09, 2012 @ 13:44:15
I’m sure I could come up with more questions too.
I think you should comment in a post (although I love dialogue anytime, feel free to e-mail me.) I am 44 (although I had a debate with the NP today because I was convinced I was still 43). Ah, the joys of getting older.
May 09, 2012 @ 13:50:55
Wish I could come up with some sage answer to even one of those questions, but basically my only answer is “You have me stumped too!” I could add to this list as well. Face it. Humanity is just plain nuts.
May 09, 2012 @ 13:52:48
Of course, in my mind at the moment the most important question is the one about food, I say as I scarf down a milk chocolate bar. Why is this bad?
May 09, 2012 @ 13:58:54
Anybody who thinks any kind of chocolate is wrong has completely lost the plot. Or has had their taste buds removed.
May 09, 2012 @ 14:04:28
All I know is the chocolate makes me happy after a somewhat painful appointment this morning.
May 09, 2012 @ 14:06:03
My Monday Rant about -isms tackles this subject from another angle. I ended it with similar questions and no real-life answers. I’m afraid your second to last paragraph might be right, but I’m trying to have hope. We have to, don’t we? For our daughters?
May 09, 2012 @ 16:59:08
I’ll go back and look at that post. I missed a lot this week juggling various things (Monday I was in rehearsal/performance mode all day). Hope is about all we’ve got right now.
May 09, 2012 @ 15:06:23
i wonder many of those things myself…but did you hear? Obama said he supports same sex marriage! Small victory!
May 09, 2012 @ 16:58:15
I just heard that now. Exciting news, but it will be interesting what happens next.
May 09, 2012 @ 21:50:33
I’m assuming his approval rating in red states will dip, but overall he represents the way America needs to be moving…Not backwards like pretty boy!
May 10, 2012 @ 08:21:01
I’m beginning to think we may all be better off splitting into the United States of Red (aka the United States of Conservative Christianity) and the United States of Blue.
May 09, 2012 @ 19:50:57
I don’t get it either, Lisa. I really don’t. But hooray for Obama today! Great to hear from you, Lisa!
Hugs,
Kathy
May 10, 2012 @ 00:05:30
A birth-control procedure in a catholic hospital! I wonder what the arrangements are for that sort of thing … does that room get special prayers or ministrations? Surely the less radical amongst the religious must somehow feel its presence within the greater precinct. Oh and curse those those poor … they only do it to annoy rich folks … everyone knows that!
May 10, 2012 @ 08:17:53
LOL, it is kind of surreal. The door to this special area of the hospital is tucked away between the gift shop and a cafe or something, as nondescript as possible. It’s not labeled, except for its number. I guess it is better than sneaking into mysterious offices down dark alleys . . .
May 10, 2012 @ 08:50:20
I’m so tired of fanatical religions imposing views I don’t support into my life; it takes away from what I feel are the bigger “Christian” issues: human rights, health care, positive things. We’re just awash with negative crap.
May 10, 2012 @ 08:53:07
The negative crap is going to drown us all soon.
May 10, 2012 @ 09:28:06
All questions I struggle with too, Lisa. I awoke to my clock-radio this morning to the news that Obama supports gay marriage. I like the man (especially since the alternative is knee-knocking terrifying), but thought I was dreaming. I’m not? Hurray! Forward movement. Better than any backsliding. But we’ve a long way to go. Here in Alberta we just put a backward homophobic racist party in their place and denied them the leadership. But they still got voted in as the official opposition party. Nauseating. Happily they have little power with so few seats.
May 10, 2012 @ 09:34:17
Julie, even though it is nauseating that the backward group is in place, opposition can serve a purpose in the sense that any group with too much power might become dangerous. So maybe it helps to have naysayers in their midst. I hope. I’m just trying to put a positive spin on things, I’m tired of seeing the world negatively.
May 10, 2012 @ 09:40:50
I agree with that, opposition is critical. But this party, well, they put Rick Santorum to shame. Repeal part of the constitution that bans bigotry. Make college students sign an agreement that they will never behave in a way that goes against God’s teachings (i.e. no homosexuality, no pre-marital sex, among others). Things that are not illegal. At least not where I live. I guess I am nauseated by the depth of their shallowness.
May 10, 2012 @ 09:42:05
Ew, that is repulsive. I take my comment back . . .
May 10, 2012 @ 09:29:21
Sigh. Too depressing. I wrote exactly one post about the state of our democracy and swore not to go any further. This is the scariest time I can remember in our country. Has it always been this bad and I just had blinders on?
May 10, 2012 @ 09:30:45
I think there have been ups and downs, but the bad seems to be piling up now because too many people put blinders on thinking that all the problems had been solved. But I also think that we have woken up and now our voices must be heard.
May 10, 2012 @ 09:47:23
Well, blinders was probably the wrong word for me to describe my stance. I expect to be treated as an equal, and valid human being. When I’m not, it always surprises me and brings me back to the reality we are living. I will not stop expecting though.
May 10, 2012 @ 09:51:39
I hope you don’t think I was criticizing your blinders. I’ve had them too. I think we all just became complacent, especially girls who grew up with women working as the norm not the exception. Does that make sense?
May 10, 2012 @ 09:56:05
No offense taken. I’m an eternal optimist, even if it kills me.
May 10, 2012 @ 09:57:05
I hope it doesn’t. I also hope your optimism rubs off on me.
May 13, 2012 @ 02:39:31
Welcome back Lisa! I wish I had the answers to your questions. For some of them, all I can say is , , , life would be very boring if we all believed the same things. There would be no tolerance, as we learned to accept others for their differences. I know this is pretty simplistic, but in a backwards kind of way, it does make sense.
May 13, 2012 @ 11:37:18
I don’t want a world where everyone believes the same thing, but I do want a world where disagreement doesn’t lead to hate and destruction.
May 13, 2012 @ 21:59:55
I would love the same thing Lisa, if only people would be a bit more tolerant about the differences.