I Don't Fit The Mold

L

Lon

Well-known Member
Location
Central California
I don't seem to fit into any particular mold in many things. Politically I have become increasing liberal over the years , primarily on Social Issues, however, dyed in the wool liberals would find me too conservative, and dyed in the wool conservatives would find me a hard core liberal. I love sports and have always preferred playing (when physically able) rather than watching. Watching a baseball game is BORING, too much wasted motion. Because of my senior citizen status there are those that try to direct my thinking and activities in a certain manner and fashion, and as I look around and see what some of my peer group do and say, I just can't relate to most of them. I have always avoided joining the AARP because I don't feel they represent me or my thinking. Religion? As a Secular Humanist (atheist) I am a definite minority and that bothers me not. I have always liked the saying "To Thine Own Self Be True"
 

Lon,

You sound like a pretty normal person, just forget the labels- yea, they're descriptive but serve little purpose. I love baseball, but watching is boring I must admit. I have no use for AARP either, they're sort of like the NRA in function. We differ on theology, but who cares?

Lon said:
I have always liked the saying "To Thine Own Self Be True"
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So do I. :)
 
You could be me Lon, at least in all those ways. Hang in buddy. AARP wants to sell us insurance.
 

Lon said:
I don't seem to fit into any particular mold in many things. I am a definite minority and that bothers me not. I have always liked the saying "To Thine Own Self Be True"
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I can totally relate, Lon. Conformity has never been my path, either. And now that I am older, although I have not become a cat lady, I really do not have to adhere to many of society's expectations. :bigwink:
 
I can certainly relate Lon. My town has a lot of seniors and almost without exception the senior men are carbon copies of each other and the woman are all exactly the same. they're all very nice and b-o-r-i-n-g. And they all eat at least one meal a day at Bob Evans and they all have 48" or larger waists.
 
To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.
William Shakespeare
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I have always tried to live an authentic life, true to my own values and beliefs. I cannot conform to anyone else's.
However, I don't go out of my way to be different. I have more in common with others than I have differences.
It is when we recognise our commonalities that we are able to form community.
 
I don't consider myself unique... Considering there are 6 or 7 billion people in the world, I would imagine I'm pretty much exactly like a few billion or so.
 
I refuse to fit the stereotype, but I still wear my plaid polyester pants from the seventies as they are still serviceable so why be trendy...
 
Its a quandary - I'm a non-conformist at heart, and drawn to other non-conformists - being unique and true to myself and also fitting in and having a sense of belonging. Birds of a feather yet still connecting with people who are very different.
 
Lon said:
I don't seem to fit into any particular mold in many things. Politically I have become increasing liberal over the years , primarily on Social Issues, however, dyed in the wool liberals would find me too conservative, and dyed in the wool conservatives would find me a hard core liberal. I love sports and have always preferred playing (when physically able) rather than watching. Watching a baseball game is BORING, too much wasted motion. Because of my senior citizen status there are those that try to direct my thinking and activities in a certain manner and fashion, and as I look around and see what some of my peer group do and say, I just can't relate to most of them. I have always avoided joining the AARP because I don't feel they represent me or my thinking. Religion? As a Secular Humanist (atheist) I am a definite minority and that bothers me not. I have always liked the saying "To Thine Own Self Be True"
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Are secular humanists referred to as athiests now? I think I'm an agnostic. And in most regards a nonconformist. Categories are too broad anyway. Don't pigeonhole yourself. Just be you.
 
chic said:
Are secular humanists referred to as athiests now? I think I'm an agnostic. And in most regards a nonconformist. Categories are too broad anyway. Don't pigeonhole yourself. Just be you.
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Most all people that refer to themselves as Secular Humanists are atheists. I use the term for myself in order to appease my believing friends and relatives who flinch and cringe at the term atheist.
 
Lon - I've been calling myself a Secular Humanist ever since the term "atheist" became so hugely negative to so many folks. I was born into an extremely devout Catholic family - I went to Catholic school all the way up until college and grad school. Catholic schooling for me was a very good way to learn a lot in the classical sense - nuns are great teachers. I sometimes got detention for raising my hand and asking about things in our prayer books that puzzled me. They told me not to ask religion-based questions because I was supposed to accept on faith all that they taught me. I had a really tough time with that concept. By the time I was through with college, I had gradually stopped believing anything based solely on blind faith. Sometimes I feel that religious people are lucky in that they are able to believe in things like heaven because they are completely sure that after death they get to go to a place (heaven) that is perfection in every way. That would be a great gift to receive for having to leave Earth! For me, trying to really believe in a heaven is as impossible as trying to reconnect with my belief in Santa.
 
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Hey, Kath, I respect your beliefs whatever they may be. The only time my knickers get in a twist, is when another person sneers at mine. Sadly, in my case, that has occurred more often than not with atheists. They seem to feel that if I can do questioning agnostic, I should be able to let go of the soother and jump into their light. Eek!
 
Shalimar said:
Hey, Kath, I respect your beliefs whatever they may be. The only time my knickers get in a twist, is when another person sneers at mine. Sadly, in my case, that has occurred more often than not with atheists. They seem to feel that if I can do questioning agnostic, I should be able to let go of the soother and jump into their light. Eek!
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I'm Agnostic... I find that what you say is true.. Apparently being an Agnostic is really being in denial about actually being an Atheist.. Not true at all.
 
At one time being a seeker, an individual that attempted to discover their own personal truth, was an admirable thing. Now, often that is dismissed as a refusal to commit unequivocally to a particular stance. Good. That is what defines seeking. If you meet Buddha on the road, kill him!
 
I don't think I can really define myself. I vacillate from time to time. About the only constant in my belief system is total disbelief of the bible and the religious story of Jesus and all surrounding it. Other than that I range between atheist and agnostic. I mostly believe we will be in the same state after death as before birth, no history, no present and no future.
 
QuickSilver said:
I'm Agnostic... I find that what you say is true.. Apparently being an Agnostic is really being in denial about actually being an Atheist.. Not true at all.
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Agnostic here too, it just means we are not saying something is or isn't for sure untrue, leans more to the not likely, you don't feel the need to say for sure something is minutely possible, just, more seeing the likelihood as impractical though not impossible in the scheme of all things as they are in the world, just logically for our minds, in many cases, just because some people got together to interpret things from stone, other story tellers, don't make it so.

In other words, the agnostics are the chosen, the other sides are arrogants. :D I am so kidding, I can feel the amo pointing at my head already.

My poor mother and my favorite uncle who was a preacher, I wouldn't ever say such things in their presence, rest their souls. Amen.
 

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