I am strong in my beliefs and will not let anyone shake them.

demgurl

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-08-06 10:23 AM
Original message

I am strong in my beliefs and will not let anyone shake them.

I am a Democrat. For some that may mean just the way they vote. For others it means they are involved with the process of elections as well as voting the Democratic ticket. I suspect, for most of us, it is more a way we attempt to live our lives all of the time.

I have experimented with religion. I went to an all girls Catholic school for 12 years. I went to church every Sunday. The hypocrisy turned me off. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful religion teacher in high school. I was looking for a religion I could believe in, one that would not leave me jaded. My teacher gave me many different books to read but in the end I decided not to make a go of something half way and that the religions I liked best were very strict and I knew a teenager such as I would end up being a hypocrite as much as anyone else I had encountered.

I never had a problem with the Catholic religion as such. I truly believe in the core values of many things I was taught. I believe in looking after those who are poor, sick or otherwise down on their luck. I believe in treating others the way I would like to be treated myself. These beliefs are the building blocks for the rest of my beliefs. I have used a sieve of sorts and taken the religion part out of religion and, instead, turned the teachings into philosophy.

I find many of my beliefs are mirrored at Democratic Underground. In a way, this party has become my religion. It is my guideline as to how to live a good life and leave the world better than how I found it. I am human but I am strong in my philosophy and how I should live my life.

As strong as I am, I realize I am human and sometimes am tested by life in general. Sometimes these tests come in the forms of posts here at DU. I see people try to disturb our way of life and while it disturbs me I hope they realize that most of us are unmoved in the way we think.

I have read posts where people question someone who is sick. I have read posts that try to attack and make us wonder about organizations (Crawford House) and whether they are doing what they should. I have read posts where people question the legitimacy of a quest to raise money for Air America in Arizona.

Not everyone tries to cause trouble. In fact, I do believe that sometimes people honestly feel that they are trying to protect some of us. When you ask questions of people, perhaps they need to be directed
to the folks who you are wondering about instead of the general public who have no idea. AND when you provide no proof of your accusations then it actual questions YOUR credibility. Try to do the homework behind the scenes and then if you can not get answers, perhaps someone can help you from here.

Disruptors should be warned that a lot of us feel the same way. We are very generous (when we can be) and we give what we can. Yes, I gave to Andy and I gave freely. I felt he did so much for our community that he deserved my money. I feel he is a hero and none of your accusations made me falter for even a minute.

I gave to the Crawford House and I will eventually (toward the end of the month) give to AAR in Arizona. When people are there for you then when it appears they need you, you need to be there for them. No matter how many posts you make or how much you try to make me doubt, I will not.

The people/groups mentioned above have a good solid track record. They proved themselves in my eyes and in the eyes of many of those at DU. When you speak up you are anonymous. I do not know you and I do not know your track record. The only thing I know is that when you spoke against Andy, you were WRONG. That is your track record. That is the legacy of those who would have us doubt ourselves and those on our side.

Why am I so steadfast in my belief? I have to be. When I doubt one then it leaves room to doubt others. Soon you find yourself giving to no one because you do not know who you can trust. I am an adult and when I give my money I do so freely. I have faith in myself and my actions. If I give money because I feel like someone can use it then so be it. I will not become jaded and cut off the rest of the world. It is easy to stay strong when you have a belief system that I do.

I believe we can all make the world a better place. I believe I can make the world a better place. I am strong in my beliefs and will not let anyone shake them.