"I Am Not A Savage"
I'm not publicly religious,
but please don't assume that your way is right and my way is wrong,
unless you know me well,
and have experienced all that I have in my life
Try to see it from my point of view.
I get a lot of preachy email
from people who seem to think I'm a heathen that they have to save.
They don't even know they're talking down to me.
They mean well,
but it can get annoying.
They think they are telling me a news bulletin...
that I've lived all these years
without ever hearing of their religion before.
Like a boy in a bubble..
or a savage on a remote island.
Consider this...
I may have formed a relationship with my Higher Power decades ago,
and have long since "accepted His gift", as it is often put.
They have no way of knowing,
and yet some folks just assume that I'm in dire need of a missionary.
I don't think I am.
I feel that spirituality is a very personal thing,
and I seldom discuss it with anybody except my wife,
and maybe a close friend.
I do thank all my evangelistic friends for caring,
but please don't try to change me at this late date.
If I want advice,
I'll choose somebody carefully,
and ask them for it.
I feel the same way about Republicans and telemarketers.
Copyright © March 4, 2006, Jack Blanchard. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.