I grew up as someone who naturally didn't fit in. I'm the redheaded son of an Italian-American dad and a Filipina-American mom. I was raised Protestant in a predominantly Catholic (and probably agnostic) village. I could read an analog clock at three years old and was diagnosed with perfect pitch at four. I would endure throbbing migraines and tension headaches at least once or twice a week until middle school. I was an autistic boy that was mocked by people who could verbally communicate more clearly than I can to this day. Sure, I was alone in a sense, but this entire situation was more than just that. I was a mutation. A glitch. An anomaly.
Don't get me wrong: like much of the general public, I still fervently appreciate dank memes on Facebook and will gladly enjoy pumpkin spice lattes whenever. But it isn't my outward behavior that makes me stand out from the in-crowd; that's merely a side effect. Rather, it is because of my internal perception that I can remain an incongruity in a world that attempts to persuade me with an enticing congruency conversion.
Let me give you an example of what I mean. People almost never tell me directly, but more often than not I'm bombarded with the conservative persecution of "you're a disgrace to Christianity because you attend a liberal arts college" or the liberal persecution of "you're a hell-sent homophobe because you believe in God." What a shame that closed-mindedness and ignorance have pervaded popular culture and political controversy.
Yes, I am a Christian. Yes, I go to a liberal arts school. But let me tell you something you won't hear anyone else say: as a believer in God, I think the argument that people can be born gay and isn't always a choice is valid. BUT before you point the gun at my head, let me explain:
We are humans. We crave the yearnings of our flesh. Therefore, we are innately inclined to have homosexual desires. Hence, being gay isn't necessarily a choice. The real choice is whether or not to deliberately act upon those desires. Many of those who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle choose to stay heterosexual because of what Scripture teaches. But that doesn't mean they should hate those who do agree because even straight Jesus freaks still have the potential to act upon their inborn homosexuality. Likewise, those in the LGBTQ community still retain the potential to become heterosexual. And it's not uncommon to see gay Christians, gay conservatives, etc. (As for my own viewpoint on those cases, I prefer not to publicly write it out due to its irrelevance within the limits of this article.)
Notice how I used the word "potential" and brought up cases that many people (maybe even you) might overlook. The key to being a true anomaly is looking at situations more than just with an open mind but objectively. We as humans think we're right about everything. We praise our own subjectiveness and despise another that disagrees. This only feeds the ever-furthering polarization of humanity. I'd like to challenge this "I'm right" notion and say that agape love is ultimately right. It may be trite just to say that, but it is a rarity to see it consistently put into practice. And you have the potential to break through that rarity.
Don't be different with the crowd. Be different from it.
