I know I just posted something but I feel like this is an important thin to address, given the lack of recognizable rapture that happened yesterday.
First I want to start with something I wrote a few weeks ago, with (impending?) rapture not even on my mind:
A couple days ago my Facebook status was: "They better play Pandora's 80's Pop Radio in Heaven." At the time I didn't think much about it. Then I kind of thought about it. What if they did play 80's music in heaven. That'd be pretty awesome. And at that point I started thinking about heaven. I'm not uber religious so I don't think about my... options... in regards to an afterlife. I believe, and I've said it before and I'll say it again, that you'll find out what happens to you when you die, when you die. I don't really think about me going anywhere, or, actually, not going anywhere. Generally I just don't think about my death. Or anything that may happen after my death. But here I was sitting in my dorm sitting in front of my computer having just posted what I previously believed was a witty facebook status update. Now it seemed more than that. 80's pop in heaven... Does that mean Saint Peter likes the song "Hey Saint Peter"? If 80's pop doesn't play in heaven what does? Punk rock? Classic rock? Alternative? Hip-hop? R&B? I know it's not classical or choral music, that would just be cruel torture. That must be what they play in hell. Let's assume they play 80's pop. That settles that matter. But once we've got a proper soundtrack to heaven, I don't know, doesn't it feel more tangible? When before I didn't think about it, now I wouldn't mind an eternity with Madonna and Michael Jackson. Music aside, what else is up there (assuming it's UP)?? Are we talking fresh fruit and dark chocolate? Or the best burgers like EVER? Do I need to watch my weight in heaven? I don't think so. Are we building apartments out of clouds? Or are we higher and building houses outta stars. Do people in heaven wear space suits? There are so many questions and most of them are silly and trivial. But I find it interesting that I suddenly am thinking about what kind of music I would be listening to for eternity. ETERNITY. What? That's crazy! I can't even fathom.... What does that even mean? Do I really want to listen to the Go-Gos forever? Maybe 80's pop wasn't a good choice... I'm not sure I'm mentally or emotionally ready to live forever in heaven. I'm not sure I'm mentally or emotionally ready to THINK about living forever in heaven. At this point I think I'll go back to living my life here on Earth. I don't need to worry about what happens when I die, because thankfully I'm NOT DEAD. And that's great. Because I can listen to as much 80's pop as I want while I'm living.
Now some things about just like... Some things...
A couple of days ago I was talking to my friend about virginity. He is a religious person and, as I have said above, I don't really know whats up. He called it, in my case, my womanhood. My lack of booty, to be crude, equates to my womanhood. I had, before, not thought deeply about the word "womanhood". That's like, all of me. So a woman's virginity, that's all of her? I'm sorry but that is about as archaic as the fucking dinosaurs. So I said to my religious friend, hell no am I giving up my WOMANHOOD when I have sex with a man. I don't like the idea of a man, stealing my womanhood-- he's not stealing anything, much less my identity. I'm not losing anything here. That's not the point of sex. When I have sex, I will still consider myself a FULL and COMPLETE woman, as pure as anyone who hasn't had sex. I'm not ruined or missing something. That's when he says, "And that is where I have to respectively disagree." And then I say, "Why?" And he says, "Virginity is a gift." And that's when I said, "Love is a gift. Sex is the manifestation of that love. If I give my love to a man, embodied through sex, it should be more important that I love him and that I'm giving him that love, more than if you've had sex before. It's the love, not the act that's important. And so maybe I believe in many loves, no one true love. And maybe you believe in one true love, the only person in the world you love enough to give your gift to. So maybe in that sense we have an ideological schism. believe in many loves, and you believe in one. Because it's about love and I can accept that. But don't tell me its about sex. I cant accept that." And the only thing he could say in response was that it was simply part of his belief system. And for some reason I just couldn't accept that. I ducked out of the conversation quickly, but the thoughts stuck with me. So many people are alienated, simply because of ideological schisms. What bugged me is that I felt like I accepted his ideas as his truth, and he simply disregarded my points because of God. Because God said, no way Jose. I don't like to think of God, if he does exist, as someone who you can't converse with. If God is real he should be like a bro you can talk to, confide in, gossip with, lean on, and most of all have heated discussions with. But never leave the conversation like your ideas weren't respected, like he was blind to your thoughts, like it was His way or the highway (to hell).
Now on to Rapture. Well as most people know, it was supposed to happen (according some guy) yesterday. And as far as I know, it didn't happen. I certainly am not blogging from Heaven. I don't, honestly know much about it really. But I do know that today there have been a lot of "told you so's" being thrown about at people who had faith in the Rapture. I'm not sure how to react. I guess I'm kind of relieved. But I am genuinely worried about the people who believed in the Rapture. Are people homeless? Belongingless? Did people give all their shit away in preparation for an ascension to heaven that never came? I know one thing is for sure. Faith took a hard blow today. These poor people, they KNEW-- KNEW WITH ALL THEIR FAITH IN GOD-- that they were going to heaven yesterday. And now they are sitting at home (if they still have one) either totally faithless or thinking that THEY were not WORTHY of ascension. And you got to know the people who believed in the Rapture would've been pious enough to make the cut. So many people are probably going through psychological distress in the light of the un-Rapturous activities of yesterday. And I feel bad. Why? Because some of these people believed IN Rapture as much as you DIDN'T. You KNEW it was a hoax, and they KNEW it was going to happen. Be honest, if the legitimate Rapture had happened yesterday and all your nice religious zealots had ascended to heaven, would you have changed your faith. HELL YEAH! If it had actually happened yesterday I would be on my knees right now screaming JESUS HALLELUJAH! like a giant black gospel singer. That would be PROOF, if the souls of the religious just floated up to heaven-- what more proof do you need? So these people, the people who knew that would happen, they are now wandering in a possibly Godless world not knowing what to do with themselves. What do you do when something you know turns out to be false, by 180 degrees? I personally think this is a WONDERFUL opportunity for the non-religious community. Welcome the lost souls of the un-Rapture. Be gracious about their flawed beliefs in their ascension. Welcome either literally or metaphorically into your arms, whether they be atheist or agnostic or just less zealous religious. Don't point the finger, don't laugh, don't say I told you so, don't scold them. Just smile, pat them on the shoulder and say welcome friend. This is a better world, you'll see. We accept you. We accept everyone here.
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