The world is constantly changing come he or she observe androgynous animals sea horses, frogs and birds of a feather. Which way to go? Snails have an answer to survive each swaps eggs and sperm to pass the genes along. Tis time for the bi-ways to be free to cross the heart lands from sea to see people holding hands love electric in the land.
Like your comment almost poetic at the end friend. And you are so right nature has so many interesting differences, I am not aware of even half of them but don’t like some species have more than one heart or more than one stomach or more than one brain even! It is incredible all the variations and also as you mention in sexual reproduction. Do these species form emotional and mental bonds what about plants and insects. The whole world is teeming with life forms we know very little about. I think it is amazing that some animals are monogamous !! However, we are the pinnacle of God’s creation We are stewards of All of the species and the Earth and we Alone were made in His Image and Likeness and have His Soirit within us. Our connections are Spiritual not merely physical. Human love and commitment is based not based on biological necessity even though our reproduction is ( unless of course engineered in some other artificial way). Why with all our enlightened thinking and we not honor and develop that spiritual love for each other?
'...even those who consider themselves open-minded can still hold conditioned assumptions about what it means to be a human being.'
I think that's the key word here: conditioned. Therein lies the main problem, whereby we've been heavily conditioned by our society, culture, and religion to think in such regressive, and even harmful ways.
We need to challenge and break out of such ways of thinking in order create a truly better, fairer society.
As a boy growing up gay in the deep south during the fifties, I quickly learned to intuit, understand, and prepare for the fears that breed hatred. Thank you, Don, for your insightful observation. We are only diminished by our own choosing.
I hadn’t read this the first time, Don, so I’m happy to read it after its reappearance. I appreciate (as I always do) your vulnerability as you tell your story here. I spent many years believing what the churches I attended taught, that any form of variation from heterosexuality and cisgender was a sin. I can track my path out of this harmful thinking and am very grateful that I made the journey. Thank again.
Yes, it does! I have had many spiritual companioning clients over the years who are LGBTQIA2S+, and they have taught me so much about my own experience of being outside and other. And I do really enjoy being here!
Perfectly said, Don! My granddaughter is gay; I am an ally! What great discussions we all had when she chose to tell us years ago. We didn’t see it coming, but more importantly… the family never masse a beat when she said she was in love with someone… a woman. We cheered and hugged her. I grew up wanting to look at “queers and homos” in the areas they hung out in town. Off putting; a curiosity. How far I’ve come! Thanks for sharing this personal and needed essay! Beautifully and truthfully written! 😊❤️👍
Wow Don. Sounds like the story of my life here. Thank goodness for personal evolution. The stages you took going from a dualistic way of thinking to a more multifaceted view is thankfully, a similar path that I am on. Being able to take the time to see people for who they are and to appreciate and celebrate uniqueness is a much more rewarding, more revealing, and more vibrant way of living. Thank you for sharing this intimate view of your story, Don. Life is so much better being an ally.
My life story is a continuing work in progress that I share weekly on this platform. Whether or not I compile it all is yet to be seen. I'm just trying to be consistent with getting something out weekly. Thanks for the affirmation, Don.
I watched a film last week called Belfast. I think it’s based on Kenneth Branagh’s childhood. As the little 8 year old Ken is leaving Belfast he says goodbye to his childhood sweetheart.
He asks his dad: Daddy, do you think me and that wee girl have a chance of getting married? (She was Catholic and he was Protestant).
His dad comes down to his eye level and says: Son, I don’t care if you bring home a Catholic, a Hindu or a vegetarian Antichrist, if you love her, she will be welcome in our home.
That one line of the film just had me in bits. I can’t imagine if I’d had that level of expansive thinking around me at 8 years old. I can’t
imagine what that would have given me. And that was only talking about religion!!
At 8 years old all as could think about was either the shame of being cut off from family if I did “wrong” when I grew up, or dying at Armageddon, again, if I did something “wrong”.
I was to marry only someone of like faith or risk some sort of shaming or shunning. I so I never married. It wasn’t until my 40’s, when I left high control religion did I have my ‘coming of age’. And my sense is that there’s part of me that is bi-sexual. But then, I frequently wonder if many of us are but have never delved deeper.
Many who have left the organisation I was in are LGBTQ+ community. And some haven’t survived.
The insidious disdain that was sown into the religious narrative was sickening to me then but my goodness, it makes my blood boil now. Christianity has oh so much to answer for the judgement and polarisation on this planet.
To be able to embrace each and every human for the journey they are on, to honour them for their jounrey, a journey they have no doubt chosen in order to expand and grow, is something that will never cease to move me to tears.
My guess is that more and more of future generations will not identify so much with gender, that we will be shown on a deeper level that there is only love. That learning ever deeper love is why we are here. That whoever we identify as being, it’s simply life loving life.
So thankful to have you here, Suzy. What a beautiful response and outlook. I am a late bloomer myself. Made so many mistakes based on social expectations and conditioning, and fears and insecurities.
I hear you on the judgment and moral superiority of Christianity. It makes my blood boil too!
Your stories are incredible. The raw vulnerability is inspiring.
Coming of age in a small town in the 90s I had a similar experience, unfortunately. I've since experienced more life and opened my mind and heart more. I do not claim to know it all, but I do know that all beings are worthy of love. It takes up too much valuable energy and space to hate.
This was a great and welcome read Don. Your writing always has a careful consideration for the subject matter and that comes through especially here. I had goosebumps reading through this. Thank you so much for sharing.
The world is constantly changing come he or she observe androgynous animals sea horses, frogs and birds of a feather. Which way to go? Snails have an answer to survive each swaps eggs and sperm to pass the genes along. Tis time for the bi-ways to be free to cross the heart lands from sea to see people holding hands love electric in the land.
Like your comment almost poetic at the end friend. And you are so right nature has so many interesting differences, I am not aware of even half of them but don’t like some species have more than one heart or more than one stomach or more than one brain even! It is incredible all the variations and also as you mention in sexual reproduction. Do these species form emotional and mental bonds what about plants and insects. The whole world is teeming with life forms we know very little about. I think it is amazing that some animals are monogamous !! However, we are the pinnacle of God’s creation We are stewards of All of the species and the Earth and we Alone were made in His Image and Likeness and have His Soirit within us. Our connections are Spiritual not merely physical. Human love and commitment is based not based on biological necessity even though our reproduction is ( unless of course engineered in some other artificial way). Why with all our enlightened thinking and we not honor and develop that spiritual love for each other?
Well an earthworm fad 5 hearts and shares it’s life recycling debris to make the world live able. Long live the worm with heart felt love.
'...even those who consider themselves open-minded can still hold conditioned assumptions about what it means to be a human being.'
I think that's the key word here: conditioned. Therein lies the main problem, whereby we've been heavily conditioned by our society, culture, and religion to think in such regressive, and even harmful ways.
We need to challenge and break out of such ways of thinking in order create a truly better, fairer society.
Thanks for highlighting that, Raveen. I agree!
As a boy growing up gay in the deep south during the fifties, I quickly learned to intuit, understand, and prepare for the fears that breed hatred. Thank you, Don, for your insightful observation. We are only diminished by our own choosing.
Thanks, Galen! I appreciate you being here. 🙏💚
I hadn’t read this the first time, Don, so I’m happy to read it after its reappearance. I appreciate (as I always do) your vulnerability as you tell your story here. I spent many years believing what the churches I attended taught, that any form of variation from heterosexuality and cisgender was a sin. I can track my path out of this harmful thinking and am very grateful that I made the journey. Thank again.
It feels so good to come awake, doesn’t it? And it’s not easy going against those deeply ingrained beliefs from our formative years.
Thanks for reading, Emily. I do love having you here. 😊
Yes, it does! I have had many spiritual companioning clients over the years who are LGBTQIA2S+, and they have taught me so much about my own experience of being outside and other. And I do really enjoy being here!
The fact anyone is against the LGBTQIA+ community or thinks their actions are sinful or against god.... it all just makes me very sad.
Thank you for your post, Don.
Thank you, Kim. 🙏💚
💪🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🙏🙏🙏
Perfectly said, Don! My granddaughter is gay; I am an ally! What great discussions we all had when she chose to tell us years ago. We didn’t see it coming, but more importantly… the family never masse a beat when she said she was in love with someone… a woman. We cheered and hugged her. I grew up wanting to look at “queers and homos” in the areas they hung out in town. Off putting; a curiosity. How far I’ve come! Thanks for sharing this personal and needed essay! Beautifully and truthfully written! 😊❤️👍
Thank you so much, Joan. 🙏💚
Wow Don. Sounds like the story of my life here. Thank goodness for personal evolution. The stages you took going from a dualistic way of thinking to a more multifaceted view is thankfully, a similar path that I am on. Being able to take the time to see people for who they are and to appreciate and celebrate uniqueness is a much more rewarding, more revealing, and more vibrant way of living. Thank you for sharing this intimate view of your story, Don. Life is so much better being an ally.
Thanks, Steve. It’s always great to hear from you. When you write the story of your life, please let me know! 😊
My life story is a continuing work in progress that I share weekly on this platform. Whether or not I compile it all is yet to be seen. I'm just trying to be consistent with getting something out weekly. Thanks for the affirmation, Don.
True, true. And I know you didn’t mean it this way, but I’m the lazy one for not going and reading your archives!
My Substack is turning into my life story too, though not in any sort of order lol
Don, that’s the beauty of this platform…archives…I see so many of my newer subscribers actually reading my posts backwards chronologically.
That’s got to be a good feeling!
This is a frank, deep exploration of the path toward alliance. It is lovely.
God, I heart loved this. So, so moving.
I watched a film last week called Belfast. I think it’s based on Kenneth Branagh’s childhood. As the little 8 year old Ken is leaving Belfast he says goodbye to his childhood sweetheart.
He asks his dad: Daddy, do you think me and that wee girl have a chance of getting married? (She was Catholic and he was Protestant).
His dad comes down to his eye level and says: Son, I don’t care if you bring home a Catholic, a Hindu or a vegetarian Antichrist, if you love her, she will be welcome in our home.
That one line of the film just had me in bits. I can’t imagine if I’d had that level of expansive thinking around me at 8 years old. I can’t
imagine what that would have given me. And that was only talking about religion!!
At 8 years old all as could think about was either the shame of being cut off from family if I did “wrong” when I grew up, or dying at Armageddon, again, if I did something “wrong”.
I was to marry only someone of like faith or risk some sort of shaming or shunning. I so I never married. It wasn’t until my 40’s, when I left high control religion did I have my ‘coming of age’. And my sense is that there’s part of me that is bi-sexual. But then, I frequently wonder if many of us are but have never delved deeper.
Many who have left the organisation I was in are LGBTQ+ community. And some haven’t survived.
The insidious disdain that was sown into the religious narrative was sickening to me then but my goodness, it makes my blood boil now. Christianity has oh so much to answer for the judgement and polarisation on this planet.
To be able to embrace each and every human for the journey they are on, to honour them for their jounrey, a journey they have no doubt chosen in order to expand and grow, is something that will never cease to move me to tears.
My guess is that more and more of future generations will not identify so much with gender, that we will be shown on a deeper level that there is only love. That learning ever deeper love is why we are here. That whoever we identify as being, it’s simply life loving life.
Thank you for this beautiful article.
So thankful to have you here, Suzy. What a beautiful response and outlook. I am a late bloomer myself. Made so many mistakes based on social expectations and conditioning, and fears and insecurities.
I hear you on the judgment and moral superiority of Christianity. It makes my blood boil too!
Thank you for being a deeply sensitive soul Don and sharing your beautiful soul. 🙏🏻💫🪄💫
Your stories are incredible. The raw vulnerability is inspiring.
Coming of age in a small town in the 90s I had a similar experience, unfortunately. I've since experienced more life and opened my mind and heart more. I do not claim to know it all, but I do know that all beings are worthy of love. It takes up too much valuable energy and space to hate.
Happy Pride 🌈🦄
Thanks, Sam! 🌈💚
Love this! Raw stories that need to be told.
Thanks, Tom! 💚
Thank you for sharing, Don!
Happy Pride! ✌🏻
Thanks, Leslie! 🌈
Beautiful, Don.
Thank you, Ali!
Such a beautiful share and so important. Ty
Thank you, Jessica! 🙏💚
This was a great and welcome read Don. Your writing always has a careful consideration for the subject matter and that comes through especially here. I had goosebumps reading through this. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wow, that is an amazing compliment, Daniel. Thank you so much! 🙏💚