i lost count of the total number of times i've been told to "cover my ears" a long time ago.
but the same implications have been made at least four times in the past week.
my offense at this annoyance has nothing to do with actually being innocent. i have no desire to hear foul language or to laugh at the innuendos birthed of a filthy mind. and it's a waste of my time to pursue an understanding of these things. my life has already been claimed, and i spend it trying to become a better version of myself. it's not an aversion to non-guilt that bothers me.
but when someone calls me "innocent," or "naive," or tells me to cover my ears, or tells someone else not to say certain things in front of me, or even avoids showing me certain things, i can't help but be annoyed. it doesn't imply righteousness, or purity, or respectability--at least not in a good way. what it really implies is inexperience, gullibility, a simple mind, childishness, and the inability to handle life maturely. perhaps it could be argued that people who say such things exhibit these latter qualities themselves. doesn't make it less frustrating.
i guess here's the point, as i rant on tirelessly to the choir: i choose purity--of mind, of mouth, of action. that's not to say i'm perfect by any standard, but this is the path i try to stay on. i don't follow it because i don't know any differently, or because there's a big, scary, sinful world out there that i want to isolate myself from. i've seen it. it's honestly nothing new to me. it's nothing special. it holds nothing for me.
if people want to restrain themselves from cursing or innuendos or graphic references around me, that's fine by me. but i wish they would do it not out of a desire to protect a helpless child who managed to never grow into an adult mind, but out of virtue, or at least out of respect for someone who strives for it.
on the other hand, maybe this is what is supposed to be happening: a divide between the Church and the world. so maybe i should stop ranting and just be glad that my faith is having a noticeable effect on the way i live.
why can't people just be offering you the chance to avoid something you dislike? would you want someone to let loose a wicked fart right next to you, or would you rather be warned so you can turn away / take cover?
ReplyDeletei don't disagree that at least some people have done as you describe. but you're making a big assumption about the motives of others, which are almost always more complex than one's negative emotional response would want you to believe.
be thankful for those few who might be acting in genuine respect for your choices. people can do some really dumb things while having a good motive (amongst all their motives)
hmm... this was thought provoking. i didn't exactly mean to make assumptions about people's motives, but rather to point out what the connotations of their words was. in the instances i was thinking of, things such as context and tone made it pretty obvious that they were poking fun at me. i know those people well enough to know that it was not intended maliciously, even if it gets old after awhile. and, as you say, there are plenty of instances in which people are looking out for my best interest. and, undoubtedly, people's motives are nearly always complex.
Deletelooking back on this post, this is actually not the thing that bothers me the most. it's the parts that make it sound as if i'm not guilty of some of these same things (which also was not my intention), and the fact that i was self-centered enough to be so bothered by stupid jokes. but all's well.
Sounds like a symptom of our culture's growing underestimation of words, to me. We value freedom and expression. We recognize words can be offensive, but only subjectively based on the person... as opposed to the message itself being unwholesome and destructive (the Biblical worldview of words, that the string of syllables you compose contain life-giving or death-bringing power).
ReplyDeleteForgive me for when I've even indirectly allowed those implications (I think I can at least recall one time being around it and remaining silent). It's a more than fair Biblical rebuke against all corrupting talk no matter who it is permitted or filtered with.
You have a cool attitude about it and chose a wise part to be glad for. I feel similarly-- I became familiar with coarse/suggestive communication in high school, but the momentary reminder of that knowledge is just annoying baggage to be set aside, that never needed to have a place in the context of Christian living and community. :\