Two things that shaped my life

Two things happened to me in the past six months that have made me a happier person, at peace with the world around me.

1. A priest telling me to read the prayer of Saint Francis
2. My decision to become a libertarian

The prayer of Saint Francis has given me a purpose in life.  As I read it every morning, it makes me aware that in order to walk in the steps of Jesus I have to put myself aside and think of the other people I will influence my the actions I take during the course of the day.  For instance, even as I write this I am making a difference.

For instance, many times I have wondered why I even bother going to work because doctors frequently order me to do that of which I think is pointless. However, Saint Francis makes me realize that my actions are making a difference in the lives I touch.  

Saint Francis made me aware of the fact that, in order to walk in the steps of Jesus, my job is not to be understood, but to understand; my job is not to be loved, it is to love; my job is not to doubt, but to have faith.  

My decision to become a libertarianism has allowed me to clean my slate of opinion and look at the world around me in an open, subjective, nonjudgmental state.  

This has helped me to reshape many of my opinions.  For instance, I was once adamantly opposed to gay marriage on the grounds that the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin.  But upon review I have decided this is a complete misinterpretation of the Bible.  

Moses wanted his people to be clean and pure in order to prevent the spread of disease.  He was aware that abstinent and monogamous persons were less likely to spread disease, and so he preached these actions.  It was a purely preventative measure, not an excuse to abhor your fellow men who live different than you.  

In order to protect that natural rights of men, or the freedoms and liberties we are born with, no majority should be allowed to make laws to take away these natural rights from the minority.  

This means that government, be it the legislature or the Supreme Court, should neither make a law, nor defend a law, that forces abortion on the people, nor takes away the right.  The decision should be left to the people, or the states to decide, as it was prior to 1972.  

Libertarianism makes it so easy to form an opinion.  Basically, what you do is let the people decide, while the government steps aside.  The people are allowed to make individual choices, and the government lives with the chaos that results.  

However, it is by this chaos that the best ideas are formed.  It is out of this chaos that Thomas Edison was allowed the opportunity to invent the light bulb.  It was out of this chaos that allowed Bill Gates to start a business of of his garage that would advance the world to what it is today.

(Written 6/21/14)

Update:  I have to add a third thing to this list: Republicans winning the mid-term election.  This has made politics worth reading about again, giving me hope the progressive onslaught on our Constitution may finally be slowed and hopefully stopped.