Friday, December 29, 2006

coming to grips with being "crazy"

It bugs me when every time my mom introduces me to someone, be it a friend, distant relative or the cashier working the register at the market, I'm the "crazy one." It's not just my mom but entire family. And it bugs me.

I don't know..I love the ocean, forests, animals, nature, everything outdoors. Call me selfish but I want to ensure that we'll still have trees and clean water in a hundred or even fifty years from now. Ok, so I don't eat meat. I would never eat a dog. I can't imagine a chicken being any different. And because I believe if two people truly love each other, whatever sexual orientation they may be, they should be able to marry. And because I don't believe that violence is the answer to violence, I don't understand why 2,988 U.S. military troops have died in Iraq. I can't even begin to imagine the number of Iraqis who've died, and the amount of destruction that's been done because of war. I love my country and am proud to say that I'm an American. But that doesn't mean I'm going to settle for status quo when I know that something's wrong, and that I have the power to act. I'm sick of watching and reading about "terror and violence" and how it's "eating us up." Why sit and wait for something to happen, when I can make changes myself? And I don't expect huge changes all at once. Little seps, I remember.

My family thinks I'm crazy, and they're probably worried that I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. But there are a lot of things I want to accomplish--and I'm learning that throughout college. After my experience with GP and the GOT I am assured that I want to be part of our government's political process--at the forefront of writing and passing legislation, communicating and creating diplomacy (what a foreign term it's become). I want to travel the world and learn from different communities and cultures. I want to photograph and document as I go. I want to share my stories and perhaps I'll obtain my doctorate and teach, and hopefully inspire. I also want to open a bakery because I love sweets, and make everything free from animal suffering if possible. So I'm a dreamer and an optimist. But I'm also a doer. And if that makes me crazy, so what.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can relate! I usually don't talk with my family about how I really feel about those kinds of things, because i know they'll call me a "dreamer." I probably should be more forward with them, but instead i talk a lot with my friends and classmates about key issues. all i can say is that i know how you feel, and i think it's so awesome that you're fighting for good causes despite what your family thinks. you rock, connie!

Anonymous said...

Connie you are crazy..... crazy awesome that is! I think everything you are doing is great! Keep it up!

Mike said...

Connie, you're so NOT crazy. You're one of the most admirable people I know. And, btw, my family thinks I'm crazy--at least politically. I'm a pro-choice, anti-death penalty, pro-high taxes on the rich, pro-same sex marriage and same-sex adoption, atheist.

So if that's crazy, then I don't want to be "sane."