Fat Free, Tax Free, Duty Free...Is Religion Free a Possibility?

I haven't been able to shake a thought that flashed in my mind recently. I wondered what the world would be like without religion. Is it a possibility?

I used to wonder why so many documents have an "optional" field to indicate your religion. In many instances it makes no sense to me regardless of the explanation used on the document.  A little light was shed during my employment at a hospital. Religious denomination was useful in interacting with patients from different cultures, backgrounds, and religious denominations. It was enlightening to adapt at times. Depending on the culture or religion of the patient, I'd have to speak only with a husband, brother, or father if the patient was female; I couldn't look some patients directly in the eye because it was a sign of disrespect; and I had to ensure that some female patients did not come into contact with a man at any point during their visit. There were significantly more but this gives an idea.

In the only hospital I've felt comfortable enough to be an inpatient, patients receive clergy visits before and after surgery as well as throughout their stay in the facility. It wasn't until recently that I decided to use my clergy visits to gain more insight. The great thing is that the clergy are usually representative of the patient's faith whenever possible. In the past, I've never refused a clergy visit while hospitalized. I've always stated how I was feeling and participated in prayer. Now I have questions that can't be definitively answered but it's interesting to hear the views of others.

The responses to the following two questions were so profoundly simple. They led to my own profoundly simple response.

-What do you do when you visit aetheists since they don't technically believe in God?  

-Do you think that it's possible to have a world free of religion?

In short, response #1 was that not many aetheists in the facility refuse visits from the clergy. The experience has been that the clergy ask the patient's preference and move forward accordingly. Surprisingly, they aren't asked not to pray often either. Although they may not believe in God, they believe in something. Response #2 was that believers have to be aware of "being religious" versus "religion." The idea of religion varies across the board as does being religious. But being religious carries with it the responsibility of understanding and tolerance with no room for hatred.
(*I wanted to talk about religious zealots but I decided to save it for a later date that hopefully doesn't come too soon.)

My profoundly simple statement (which isn't my label or terminology):

It is more than possible to have a world free of religion but not a world free of belief.  

If You Don't Know Me By Now, We May Have Something in Common

In a brief 15 min break today, I began to think of how well the average person really knows him/herself. Naturally, I turned the tables on myself and thought of how well I know me. In a recent hilariously heated conversation, I was asked "damn, do you ever say anything you don't really mean?" Heated because the inquisitor was serious. Hilarious because the inquisitor was DEAD serious & somehow convinced that I haven't changed in a damn decade. I started to think of how often I say things that I don't mean. Initially I came up with never. After thinking a minute, I realized that it's relative based on the context. I decided to ask a friend, whom I used to depend on to break the monotony of my day, but I didn't get much of a response. Nevertheless, I realize that I'm not as accommodating as I once was. I don't believe that I've changed at my core. Rather, I'm more closely in sync with it. But those I've known at length, definitely see it as a change. I will admit that I sometimes surprise myself with how detached I can be. It's never intentional but I'm more than sure others will beg to differ. I used to love to talk talk talk talk talk like it was an Olympic sport. Now, not so much...especially, in regards to my own shit. I just don't prefer to do it anymore because it's never-ending and will lead to questions on top of questions on top of questions. Had anyone told me this a decade ago, I wouldn't have believed it. So who knows? THEN me doesn't know NOW me. It'll be the same when NOW me becomes THEN me.

Not Black Like Me, Black Like Them : Confronting the Color Complex

I purchased a book titled "the darkest child" by Delores Phillips. I'd never heard of it, which is part of the reason I got it, in addition to the interesting theme examined in the novel. An impoverished young girl of ten siblings experiences prejudice and abuse at the hands of her mother because of her appearance. Although I haven't started reading it yet, the synopsis immediately forced me to think about prejudice and discrimination within the Black community and my own personal battle.

As hard as it may be to believe, I have a color complex that I still battle with today. In fact, for as long as I can remember, I've always had a color complex. Typically, the overwhelming color complex for Blacks is to be prejudiced toward those with darker skin. Unfortunately, it's one of those things that some won't admit but it's very much alive today. Those with fairer skin are preferred and even treated differently than those with darker skin. It's the classic house nigger vs field nigger controversy that's been perpetuated for centuries.

Growing up in New Orleans, I realized that the majority of people I came into contact with wanted to be with a "red," or light-skinned, person. Gender specificity wasn't a factor. The desire was equally common for both males and females. There's also no logical rationale for this preference. Whenever I asked about the preference, I was basically told the same thing : I DON'T KNOW or HE/SHE IS CUTE. It made no sense then and it makes no sense now. However, I do have a better understanding. We're taught what is supposed to be attractive or aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, not many challenge those mores. I've often wondered if it's intrinsic or if it's been so deeply embedded in us that it seems intrinsic.

So where do I fit in? I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. As a child, I always wanted to be darker. It may have had alot to do with my admiration of my brother but I can't say definitively. I used to wish I was as dark as he was. As you can see, I'm neither fair nor dark. But in my mind, I used to believe that I wasn't dark enough. During adolescence, I experienced a transition. The desire to be darker diminished and manifested itself into my idea of attraction. I did not find any male whose skin was lighter than mine attractive. Logical, right? My friends would ask me about it all the time and I found myself giving the same aforementioned responses I'd heard. I'd even defend darker girls who were called ugly by people in my neighborhood and at school.

I felt like Tupac was talking directly to me when he said "they say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh, the deeper the roots." The statement is amazingly profound. But my justification for being drawn to darker flesh is in direct contrast to the message being sent because there is no true justification. My attraction has nothing to do with the intellectual depth of a man. It's actually shallow compared to the meaning of the statement because it's based on physical appearance alone. As an intellectually sound adult, I can now make this distinction. However, it's had no effect on my illogical attraction. I am thankful that this is only an aspect of my personal life. I couldn't imagine having to overcome something of this magnitude in every aspect of my life although I'm aware that it's a reality for some who have no shame in announcing it to any open ear. Malcolm X's mother has come to mind. She embodied a love for darker men that was essential to her core based on her own fair skin and the suffering and brutal treatment her family endured at the hands of white men. That's sound justification to me.

I'll revisit this topic after submerging myself into the book. I truly wonder if it'll have any effect on my views.
Until then, I'll keep Pac in mind.