Falsities of the Misunderstood

It's time to play a little game, folks. It's called word association. I'm going to say a word, and you say the first thing that comes to your mind. Ready? First word: Fat. Second word: Conservative. Third word: Atheist. For now, let's stick with those three. Chances are, you have conjured up some creative vernacular that describes your immediate gut reaction to those three words. Now, bear with me here, what you are about to read may surprise you.

Those three words, and the others you are about to read, describe me. They do not however, define me. Allow me to elaborate. I hope that everyone can put aside their own thoughts and judgements for a moment, and read the following paragraphs with an open mind. I promise I am not trying to sway anyone into my religious, political, or any other -itical belief structure. The following is a little essay of sorts I like to call "JUST BECAUSE". See if you have caught yourself making any of the same judgements on others, or been judged this way yourself.

Just because I am fat:
Doesn't mean I am ugly...there are plenty of beautiful people who are larger than the average person.
Doesn't mean I am lazy-I just hate working out and like to eat what I enjoy!
Doesn't mean I am unhealthy- I have better blood pressure and cholesterol than alot of thinner people I know!
Doesn't mean I am stupid- quite the opposite really.
Doesn't mean I hate myself- I just don't care what YOU think about my body. :)

Just because I am an atheist:
Doesn't mean I have no morals- they are just different from yours, which are different from the next guy's, and so on.
Doesn't mean I am a bad person- again, I care about others just like you, but in a different way.
Doesn't mean I need to be converted- everyone is entitled to free will.
Doesn't mean I will try to convert you (or anyone else!)- religion is pretty much a non-issue for me.
Doesn't mean I need to explain myself- I have explored religion. It isn't for me. I don't judge anyone for their religion, just as I would hope they wouldn't judge me for my lack there of.

Just because I am a conservative:
Does NOT mean I am a republican- there are other kinds of conservatives.
Doesn't mean I don't care about the poor- it just means I think our methods are wrong and our systems flawed.
Doesn't mean I am against any democratic viewpoints, I take each issue one at a time and I make my own decision about it. I do not let my general party association dictate how I feel.
Doesn't mean I will vote for the republican candidate- The whole "lesser of two evils" two party voting thing has long outlived it's prime. I will be actively searching for an alternative this upcoming election.

Just because I don't have a degree:
Doesn't mean I am less smart than anyone else- It just means I have had a hard time deciding what it is I want to do.
Doesn't mean I am lazy- school is not my favorite thing.
Doesn't mean I am worth less than someone who does- I have plenty of on the job experience, and my creative problem solving skills are a-maze-ing.

Doesn't mean I am worthless or uneducated- I have more education credits than almost any two people you can name, just no fancy piece of paper with my name on it. Education is never wasted.

Just because I am bitchy:

Doesn't mean I am always right- but I have learned how to get my thoughts heard!

Doesn't mean I am JUST a bitch- but you would do well to be on my good side....

Doesn't mean I am obsessive- just means I know what I want!

Doesn't mean I don't have a softer side- you just gotta get through the hard candy shell first!

That's all for now kids. Hopefully reading this made you take a look at the judgements you make on other people, concious or not. I know that I am often a person who makes snap judgements, and then reflects on them later after careful consideration and often realizes that I judged unfairly. We all do. It's practically human nature. My hope is that we all become more aware of the judgements that we often subconciously make. Myself included. I often hate labels because of this very reason. There's often stigmas and misunderstandings associated with labels, and people are far too individual to be categorized so specifically. 

So with that, I bid you all goodnight. Please leave your thoughts and comments below!