It is odd, being a fly on the wall in this community of alternative truths. Just as odd, is feeling like a fly on the wall in this small town. I think there are approximately 3,000 people here, though I live outside city limits. I see such contrasting realities.

Yesterday, I went to the local grocery store. They still employ courtesy clerks, who pack up the groceries and carry them to the car. And I think somehow they are trained to never let a moment go by in silence. *sigh* I am quite alright with silence, so it is a chore to be pleasant and personable. I think small talk is a waste of energy. But... I make myself come out and chit chat.

The cashier and courtesy clerk were both young men, both late teens to early twenties. They were talking about their first names, versus their nicknames, and whether they preferred their middle names. And one noted that he was named after a friend of the family who had died before this young man was born. So the other young man says, "well, hey, if reincarnation were real..." They both laughed because of course in this Bible thumping town, this was a notion ridiculous to entertain.

I had to suppress an eye roll. I did an internal breathing exercise. I put on my patience cap. I knew this was an opportunity, and damn if I don't choose to take those. It really would be easier to just wait in silence. The moment to pay eventually comes, immediately followed by the moment I reach the solace of my car.

And I did what I do. My memory is not such that I can spit out statistics or quote peer reviewed scientific journal articles. But in my own nurturing way, I opened up the conversation and encouraged their exploration of reincarnation. I even helped with their cognitive dissonance, asking if the Bible doesn't say, "with God, all things are possible."

I am reminded of this song. Constantly:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1kyCQsxjec[/youtube]

We exist in such an odd time, in such an odd place.

Just sayin.

Here's the song your post reminds me of for some reason:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYCxl0naHsA[/youtube]

The thing about "flies on the wall"...observant peeps sometimes notice them

Is Robert Earl Keen big (or even heard of) in mainstream Texas? He's one of my favorites, from some small town down there...but can barely fill a bar up her in yank county:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QJqug0a2Jw[/youtube]

No, Phil. Never heard of him. But I hear some actual music in that song, so it isn't surprising to me. Christian pop is piped in to most places of business. Remember the story I told awhile back...about Em's middle school teacher using a church pamphlet for a hall pass? And the proselytizing done by teachers regularly? And the essay Em wrote on how some particular teachers and school systems break the law repeatedly, not upholding the separation of church and state?

Bars? None around here. Well, there is a "private" establishment about 30 miles away. There are the secret hideaway bars, where there is illegal gambling and some other sordid whatnot, and those are eventually shut down. Probably reopened elsewhere, as I hear they may be source of income for the *ahem* authorities. Some, but not all, are like this. Quite a mix.

M was issued a ticket for littering once. I went to pay the fine, which the judge had lowered from $600 to $100 because the officer that issued the ticket had a record of stopping only women. And assigning the highest fines allowed by law.

On the other hand, I have been stopped and have found the officers to be human beings. So...it's a toss up.

Wait. I am totally off my own topic. Haha!

Phil wrote:The thing about "flies on the wall"...observant peeps sometimes notice them

Not too many observant peeps.

What a lovely home town conversation. I am sort feeling like the whole world is nothing but a small town, different flavors but the same theme. How to integrate cosmic consciousness with a Baptist, now that is a conundrum.

Blue Rising, congrats on speaking up ... more and more I find that people are really hungry for truth, many have surprised me. Spread the love, oh darn darling there is that WORD again. lol

Christine wrote:Spread the love, oh darn darling there is that WORD again. lol

You made me laugh! Fine. Here you go.



Yes, it can be tricky to maneuver with a Baptist. Or basically fill in the blank if the person is not a Baptist. It is like we have talked about before, keeps us on our feet. This town gives me practice, as does my real life family. When the channels open and wisdom comes, I step out of the way. It's just...what I do.

I have a friend here, S. She owns the herb store. For the first six months she was open, she couldn't figure out why no one came in the store. Then the local preachers started to come in one by one, checking on the condition of her soul. It is fascinating how I found her store at the same moment she needed me to. We have been blocked here lately, but we usually have a weekly time set aside for Weirdness. And she has opened up so much since we have been talking.

There are a couple of people who have found me, through her. They are usually sponges for anything I have to say and it is unnerving as hell. I try to keep that to a minimum, pointing this way and that for them. I hear there are a couple more people in this area who would like to meet me. And I just want to hide. This isn't about me. It isn't about what I know. I know a drop in the bucket. I know NOTHING. I know that I do not know what I do not know. I just keep finding myself in these conversations. In these positions.

So, if it is small town conversations you enjoy, hahahaha, I am certain I could oblige you. I used to do that often, there and then...in what seems like another life at this point.

I love people. I do. But it isn't a human love, that's for sure. It is that force ... which flows through. There is an understanding that I am a tool. I have tried to think that process through, and I have tried to ask questions about it. I arrived at the understanding (finally!) there is no need to filter it through my mind. It just is. I will do what I do.

Hmmm. Should I post this....or delete it....Crap. This post is what I would call...a random musing. One of many, ha.

I like the clear heartiness of those 'Baptist' types. I could happily live in a street full of them.

They live in a 'good' way.

I just don't ever want to get into a religious argument with any.

norman wrote:I like the clear heartiness of those 'Baptist' types. I could happily live in a street full of them.

They live in a 'good' way.

I just don't ever want to get into a religious argument with any.

I treat people the same, regardless of belief system. I look at people with strong religious beliefs and somehow find things in common with them. I have a brother who is now Mormon, one who goes to a Christian mainstream church of some kind, siblings who (because of oppressive religious indoctrination from childhood) are either athiest or agnostic...one of my daughters is looking into Buddhism, one has read a great deal about Rastafarianism, and one looked into Paganism.

Really, Norman, it isn't about any particular religious belief. Not for me, anyway. I see every person I meet, for whatever reason I meet them, as a soul on a path. Some are definitely taking the round-about way to get there. But the way I see it, everyone can get there, no matter where they are right this minute.

What I have trouble with, to be honest here, is the fear and/or hatred I see in people. I do admire the sense of community, but do not appreciate the discrimination. When we first moved into this area, I got more invitations to church than I can recall. The sorting into groups was done by those that invited me, all by themselves. When I politely declined, people naturally fell into the group that shunned me or the group that didn't care and would still be friendly. I realize these folks really think they need to save everyone's souls...what I find sad and sometimes tiresome is the way they are putting so much energy into bringing about the armageddon type second coming of the Lord.

Oh, gosh. I almost got started there for a minute. I will stop before I get too deep into things I usually don't talk much about.

So....

back to the conversation over here. Lol. I went to the grocery store in town here recently. This is becoming quite the little hot spot! Hahaha So, the young man grabs my cart to push it out to my car and load up the groceries for me. (I love that, lol.) And he asks me where the nearest mountain range is. Hmmm. Well, I thought about it for a second, and I suggested that possibly the Ouachita Mountains would be closest. That was an odd question, I asked him why he was wondering about mountains.

"Well," he says, "you know there are people talking about the flat earth..."

Okay. What?!

At the grocery store. In the parking lot. With a young person, had to be between 18 and 22 years old. In a super religious town. Full of uneducated, unexperienced, closed-minded... (Yes, this is about where I told myself to get my own shit in check.)

I tuned back in, and off we went. In the end, I advised him to be a little more cautious about starting up a conversation with that little tidbit.

But really...that's what I always say. I always, and I mean always, get into these odd conversations about weird stuff...and I always advise a little caution. I'm shocked when these conversations get going, because I promise you I don't start them. Lol. But they find me. So, I wonder, at this point, if I should be advising caution at all. Hell, maybe no caution is needed. Maybe open exploration about a flat earth or reincarnation or who Yeshua really was...maybe that's what's needed.

Maybe being burned alive is influencing these interactions. Maybe I should be allowing my High Weirdness to come out...maybe I should even celebrate it. I have always valued my camouflage. I have lived a protected life for a few years, almost to the point of hermit-hood. It is time to re-evaluate, I think. I'm not saying I will be more open...but I will think about it.