This morning.
My neighborhood still has hope.

I want to stay away from politics, every time, but then something awful happens.

I am surprised how precious little conversation I’m seeing about the real harm of keeping gay people closeted. In this case, it came to harm not just himself but everyone around.

I generally hate oversimplification, but in this past horrible thing that happened in Florida, I feel like if the man who had the guns was able to grow up becoming what he always wanted, not having to hide himself from himself, without the irresolvable conflict that his parents’ expectations and later his religion caused, none of this would have happened. I have a hunch that most virulent homophobes are closeted gays themselves: there is only anecdotal evidence of that, but I don’t think anyone really studied it.

This also makes me think how religion is like a drug – and in a greater sense than Marx called it opiate for the people. Most people are perfectly ok most of the time without taking any drugs, and like a drug, a right religion for the right person at a right time in a right amount could calm anxiety, inspire great art or even help manage mental illness.
Conversely, a wrong religion for a wrong person could exacerbate or even cause whatever inner conflict s/he had and make things infinitely worse for herself and, as is in this case, for others.

Furthermore, some religions, like lighter drugs, are more-targeted for the good they do to human brain, and less likely to cause harm. They leave some room for the normal processes that drive our thoughts and enable whatever mysterious thing that free will is. Others are more all-encompassing, less tolerant of independent thought, and are more likely to have side effects . To me, they look like like the disease they were created to cure – trying hard to win converts , grow, empower the power-hungry, and leave no room for anything or anyone else.