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DOMA: Is the fight over?

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A couple of 14-carat gold wedding rings.
A couple of 14-carat gold wedding rings.

Unfortunately the fight over just the definition of marriage is not over. I think it is obvious that it is only a battle that has been won. Just look at voter’s rights, abortion rights and other issues in which the fight will seemingly never end.

We have become an increasingly polarized nation with people sitting in their own camps, unwilling to budge in any direction because they are “right.”  One of the first questions in relationship counseling is “do you want to be right or be happy?”

While we, as a nation, sit in total fear of attack from outside our borders we slowly give up our personal freedoms in the name of safety. People are upset about NASA’s intrusion on personal communication while we have to almost strip to get in an airport or public building; we accept road blocks in the name of safety forgetting we used to have the right to move freely on the highways without fear of being pulled over or stopped without cause. In each area, people can point to the need for the intrusion on freedom and then point at “those people” that need to be controlled.

As a spiritual person, I make a choice to take up the sword in defiance of change or go into prayer (speaking to God) and meditation (listening) for the loving action I can take. Do I have the ability to soften my judgments of how others live, or is my way the only way? This is the real question…am I the moral arbiter of the rest of the world? Humankind has been using violence to settle arguments, even though every major religion (since the beginning of time) teaches love. When do we begin to realize there are many ways in which any one person may live his or her life — ways that may be perfectly fine for that person?

The world is changing and evolving and we can become a part of that evolution or live in anger and resentment about our powerlessness. It’s our choice.

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Joe Niemiec
Joe Niemiec
The Rev. Joe Niemiec Jr. began his spiritual quest in 1986 when he walked out of a Houston jail and was struck by the realization that his life was in shambles. He began his quest for ‘getting back on track’ with 12 step programs, followed by learning and practicing meditation with a local Redding, California, teacher.

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