Hey, Give Back That Personal Happiness

I find this topic of society discussed especially in our election year. I let this marinade in my brain for the longest time yet am inspired in this moment (to be explained later) to write about it. I am in awe at humanity with its fascination with driving the bitter bus. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I suppose on a literal message we are all entitled to pursue happiness. Whom gets to have it is another story. I am thoroughly disgusted by the notion of same sex marriage being political issue. One big honking reason is marriage and politics share such a fragile relationship. The American government was founded with a separation of church and state, which is impossible in this modern era.

If that separation was to be true then it should not matter whether Joan and Dale got married or John and Roy did. Essentially as long as the couple was witnessed then all would be well. Not so quick, "we don't serve your kind here" says ignorant America. I can say that without a doubt because there are many hetero marriages that are interracial and had to fight a hauntingly similar battle earlier. Apparently Alzheimer's hit more people than imagined.

There is one group of people I expected this from, white men. In all fairness I credit most of my hypochondria to pigmentation. White men (historically and with the current political climate) have been behind the ignorance regimes that boast resistance to social change. White men were afraid of any heritage that did not need sun block. Many still are, and many are above the Mason Dixon line. So as sad as it sounds, I expected this sort of cowardly action from many white men.

There is more to the story. How, with one's scarred past of walking into firehoses, burning of bras, eviction from home and work to distant barracks, mass genocide of generations, robbing of sacred land, unending persecution of personal beliefs could many cultures turn their back on a community that is treading a similar path that they tread?

Throughout history discrimination has been everpresent. In this current situation I have the following questions for the homophobic people that read this.
Blacks-Do you not remember when your ancestors were only seen as 2/3 a person?
Women- Did your relatives ever burn their bra? or did they stay in the kitchen because that where they belonged?
Asians- Do relocation camps for Japanese during ww2 not remind you of the hardships a cultire can experience?
I could go on about the major obstacles but I am hoping that my point is clear.

It is quite a shame that Americans think of liberty and happiness like the conch from "Lord of the Flies." Something that is passed around for one to control and then when they are done with it they will pass it to the next party. We are the obese person holding the ladle telling someone else that they can't eat here. Clearly we have had too much too eat and only hold on to the ladle and scoop more food out of fear of what we can't (nor should) control (someone else's wellbeing).

Have another metaphor.

To me this is a fourth and inches situation that never needed to happen. As life advanced, penalties were called, downs were redone and it seemed as though every effort expelled would inevitably be stopped by the steel curtain defense and baised refs. The sacrifice of an entire group sweats, bleads and sacrifice themselves only to move a cause a couple inches when really everyone playing needs to realize that this battle is not the superbowl. It is just a scrimage by the coach to see if we can co-exist. Too many of us are lining up against someone in a fit of unjustified emotion never really asking ourselves "what am I fighting for?" This battle that happens between teams does in fact make groups better- at fighting. Until our fists are unclenched we can never pull them up from the ground, nor can they help us up.

I needed to write that down because if I tried to say all that I would have been stopped much earlier. It may seem over idealistic but I don't think so.