ProbEmblemAtic

One nice thing about having a relatively long commute (about 30 miles each way) is that it gives one a chance to think.  And think, I do…

This morning I was driving behind a car that had a license plate frame that said “God is Awesome”.  I don’t know why, but it bugged me something fierce all the way to work.  I find myself getting annoyed with all the Jesus fish that people attach to their cars, also.  Why?  I don’t know.  I guess I find a lot of “Christians” to be very close-minded people whose God is not one of tolerance and love but one of politics and hate.  While I grew up going to church (sometimes Catholic — stand up, sit down, kneel, repeat — and sometimes Methodist — potlucks) I never felt passionately about it and when friends of mine from youthgroups would buy in to the whole “spread the faith and convert everyone to our beliefs” I never could do it.  I just wasn’t passionate enough about it. 

Driving home I drove beside a car with the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” pirate fish emblem.  Now let me say that I adore the Flying Spaghetti Monster story and I actually have an FSM t-shirt I bought.  I want to put one of the pirate fish emblems on my car, because I believe in keeping church and state seperate and that is the whole basis of the FSM pseudo-religion.  (If you aren’t up on Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, check out http://www.venganza.org/ )  Why don’t I put one on my car?  Because I’m afraid I’ll offend people or will alienate myself from people I know. 

Although the people who know me quite well (and there are a few, but truly not that many) would say that I’m opinionated and have strong beliefs, most people really don’t know where I stand on many issues.  I work in a management role and while the environment that I work in is a fairly creative one (it’s an art school) I worry that people would see me differently if they knew that I’d rather have a Flying Spaghetti Monster emblem than a Jesus fish on my car.  Even my in-laws don’t realize that I don’t necessarily share their beliefs.   I fear that by letting my true self be known, people would dislike me or disrespect me.