Charlotte, you're killing me here

"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among stones."
Charlotte Bronte, from 'Jane Eyre'

I love it when people who were WAAAYY ahead of their time come up with pure gems.
I'm making note of great quotes from this novel, because there are so many. This one stood out, though, as it's God's Honest Truth. I'm sure we all know this, if we think about it. The main reason one person gains a prejudice against another is because they don't understand them. Education and the obliteration of ignorance are two things I feel very strongly about. The only reason I posted at all on the Lifetime site three years ago was because I wanted to apologize for the 'Christians' and 'Funamentalists' and just plain Ignorant Ones out there who like to spew off judgment against others. There's a little fire in me that gets inflamed when I think about said people. It's funny now; my post was taken off the site by the moderator because it was considered 'pejorative.' I called Fundamentalists 'idiots,' I believe. Well, I could have used better terminology, sure. But I still think I hit the nail pretty close to the mark.
Damn, I'm a Liberal! Does it show? winks.
Well anyway, I thought that quote was magnificent. And right on. It doesn't matter what the prejudice has been: against women, against the poor, against anyone not white, against the homosexual community, against liberals (smiles)....the only reason these skewed ideas exist is because, I believe, those expressing such skewed views simply don't get it. They simply aren't educated enough to know better. By 'educated,' I don't mean book smarts. I mean world and humankind-smarts. When I was in the fifth grade and after I was first baptized, I believed all homosexuals would go to Hell. Well, it was what I was told. Who was I to question? But thankfully, my mind took over from training and learned to think for itself. I'd love to know who instilled such an insidious thought in my head. It wasn't my parents. And I really don't think it was the Methodist Church. It may have been one person in the church, who certainly should not represent the whole church (ahem...Roman Catholics). It may also have been the media. Because I remember how upset I was to learn that Boy George was gay. I loved him to death! But, innocent as I was, I had no idea what 'gay' was. And the minute I did know, I was told it was 'wrong.' How 'different' got translated into 'wrong' baffles me.
That's been one of the emotional setbacks of my life. I thought what made me different was what made me 'wrong.' I felt that way up until therapy three years ago. I also read 'The Purpose Driven Life,' which I highly, highly recommend to anyone wanting to heal. With OCD there's a lot of guilt, depression, and self-hatred. And you think that the things you do as a result of your glitch in the head are 'wrong.' They aren't. They're just your mind's way of reacting to things, the only way it knows how. But the heart is stronger than the mind. And the spirit is the strongest of all.
So my point here is, if your spirit's in the best place it can be, you won't understand prejudices very much. Of course, we're all human and we all have little things we're prejudiced about but we might not think about it. Me for example? I have a prejudice against dogs, because they frighten me, they're loud, they chew things, they smell, and they always come and jump up on me when they KNOW I hate it. haha Poor pups. Dog lovers of the world will say, 'Yeah, but cats aren't much better! They meow, they hiss, they claw people, they tear up things, they shed...' Match point! In truth, I love all animals, and consider them to be a wonderful part of our world. But really, those dogs need to learn not to leap on me. It really does scare me to death! Childhood phobia of dogs manifesting itself there. It's all about Control, you know. We don't like that we can't control them. Damn us and our lack of unpredictability!

Okay, end of Rant. Whew! That was fun.

Small Prejudices
1) Blurry TV channels. I refuse to tolerate them.
2) 'Morning People.' I'd like to clock them.
3) Generic Movies. Unoriginality should be outlawed.
4) The Constant Cell Phone Talker. I'm about to shove that phone right up your a**!
5) Rap Music. I like a rhythm, people. And preferably a good singing voice.

haha (I am kidding with these lists, you know.)

Have a great day!