Image courtesy of Stockvault.
Easter is supposed to be a happy time. For people who nominally believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, it can be a time of random celebration, being together with family, and entertaining children with candy and gifts. More hardcore celebrants can take this time to look down on the Easter-Christmas crowd and demand new pledges to their lord and savior.
Easter is a complicated holiday for me now.
This isn’t just because I don’t believe any of it anymore. Rather, it’s the additional reminders that I have to actively pretend I like hearing a gruesome message repeated for the nth time. To simply ask that a subject gets changed has, in the past when I’ve tried it, earned a fiercer display of religiosity at best. Even when I try to ask for some middle ground, it’s too much.
To be sure, if I was able to be completely away from this atmosphere I don’t think I’d be having the same problems. Instead of making things better, I realize things are getting slightly worse. Religious holidays and celebrations serve as constant reminders that even I must make room for the faith of others without any consideration for my own well-being. For reasons that I am all too familiar with, it is not enough that people celebrate their holy days; they must brand others with it as well.
What purpose does any of this serve?
If anything drives me to anti-theism, it will be this time spent giving my patience to others while getting nothing in return for it. No matter how hard I try to live in harmony with others, it feels like I’m always having to sit and listen to yet another faith-fueled example of misanthropy. Fortunately I have this place to vent, but it’s getting less productive as time goes by.
Amusing Nonsense 