Simply Millennial

This December I have been invited to five different holiday parties. It has made me take an honest and in-depth look at who I am and what I believe. The dilemma I have is that although I don’t celebrate any of these holidays personally, I see nothing wrong with celebrating life through the festivity of the season. I’m not religious, I am not African-American, and winter is my least favorite season. But please trust me -I’m not a Scrooge! It bothers me when agnostics and atheists are classified as cold, hard, and arrogant. I don’t understand why these adjectives are so easily placed on us!To not believe in religion is not to be heartless. We feel the same way everyone else does when our relative dies, or when a child’s face lights up. We need hugs and kisses too, and we have positive ideas about the direction of the world. Emotions are still a part of our basic human function, and our not sticking them in a box and labeling them doesn’t mean we are less spiritual.That’s why when deciding on whether or not I would participate in these upcoming functions, I decided to rely on my instinct. And my instinct told me that disassociating myself from others during the season would be rude and selfish, and would undoubtedly strain personal relationships. It does more good when we get out of our comfort zones and try to relate to others we are different from, than when we shelter ourselves from a false fear. The next time you speak or interact with an agnostic or atheist, I beg of you to not write this person off as a pompous, heartless bastard.And my wish for this season is for everyone to close their stomachs and open their minds.Cheers!