Earth Day week

So I haven't been keeping this up as much as I want, but I can always strive to get better. This week is Earth Day (Tues 4-22) week. On campus, we had an updated presentation from a trained "An Inconvenient Truth" speaker. Then yesterday, we had a "Responsible Social Engagement Awards" and vespers. I was one of the graduates recognized. All this has me wondering why what I do stands out and why other people aren't doing it too.

I strive to live a lifestyle that diminishes my impact on the environment. I don't do everything I could, but I try. I also take time to sign my name to petitions to various leaders in government and business and write letters to those same people. I don't have to spend a lot of time with this because I am a member of several organizations that keep me informed of what is going on in the world. I can't imagine anyone not wanting to help the environment, if not for yourself, then for future generations.

It doesn't take much. Use a canvas bag instead of plastic. Use CFL bulbs instead of traditional incandescent. Try not to drive as much, carpool. Recycle your paper and bottles.

Just do something.

40 Years Ago Today

40 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. He was one of the most influential non-violent leaders in the past 50 years. King was a man well ahead of his time. While we all know of his "I have a Dream" speech, he was so much more than that. He was a Christian man, but not a Christian elitist. He saw how much people from other religions could offer those within Christianity. He sought out Gandhi and was willing to learn from him. He did not seek him out to "save his soul." I don't know his thoughts on sexuality, but he was open to being friends with and learning from openly homosexual people. Bayard Rustin, who also studied under Gandhi, was one of King's counselors throughout his early activist years.

I think today's society needs to take another look at one of it's fallen heroes and try again to live a loving non-violent life. The strides made in Civil Rights since King died 40 years ago have been tremendous, but they are nowhere near what they should be or what King had envisioned. We are still a nation at war, spending our money on creating enemies and distrust instead of the development of humankind. I'm sure there are things King and I wouldn't agree on, but I do know that we would never raise a hand to each other.

Please, wherever you are, however you are living your life, stop the hate. As MLK said "The time is always right to do what is right."

Start today

Feminism

Every time I put myself in touch with the outside world, I feel like I have to put up a shield to avoid all the negative social commentary being thrust upon me. I've spent much of my three years in grad school dissecting movies and television in light of different social issues, so I suppose that has heightened my sensitivity somewhat.

Feminism has made amazing strides for women over the last 120 years and 60 years, but nearly everyday I am reminded of how sexist this world (or at the very least, country) is. This in turn reminds me of how shaped our world is to the white male. Being one, this is hard for me to say. I want things to be fair and equal. But when I go shopping for anything from a sleeping bag to a cd, I see how exploitive and prejudice we are.

My wife and I were scanning through the radio yesterday and landed on a country song that was saying something along the lines of how, in the midst of the feminizing of men (i.e. painted toenails), he still had a pair and was a real man. The song brought up so many passionate feelings in me, that it led to the creation of this blog. I've decided I can no longer remain silent outside of my own little world. This song is just wrong. Men are not made men by fighting or drinking beer or watching sports. Men are men(sorry to exclude the transgendered here). No two people in the world exhibit all the same emotions, actions and thoughts, much less an entire gender. We really need to move away from having all this rigid definitions and just let people be who they are.

This blog- Intro

I've tried blogging several times before and never stuck with it, let's see if this is different. This blog is intended to be a response to things that upset me on a social issue basis. I am a 30 year old, white male that grew up privileged, but not totally unaware, in the south. I am about to graduate with a master's degree from a west coast theological school. I believe myself to be a feminist, civil rights activist, conservationist and ally to GLBTQ people. I don't claim to be perfect, but I try to have an open mind and be accepting.