Thursday, May 11, 2006

old story--day two

So the next day, this girl is walking home from school with her friend and she is talking about religion. And she is saying something like, she kind of doesn't really like organized religion, she thinks it makes people too closed minded, or something. And he seems to be listening very carefully. And for some reason, she feels as if they are almost of one mind, because maybe he seems very accepting, although perhaps she has not yet learned that accepting is not the same as agreeing.
So she feels like she can speak with him very freely about anything. And she says "I mean, there are some religions I think I could just never be part of. Like I don't think I could ever be Muslim." And he says "I am Muslim." And she's like, "What? Like practicing and everything?" "Yes," he says. And she's like, "I thought maybe you were Hindu or Buddhist or something." And he says, "No." And she's starting to feel very uncomfortable all of a sudden because she has a feeling that she's kind of implying that it would be better if he were one of those other religions, or anything except Muslim. And she thinks, well I have this new friend from my art class and he's my neighbor and I'm walking home with him and now I've offended him. And she feels a little defensive, but she really can't think of anything to say. But then, maybe its like a shaft of light kind of pierces through her brain, and she says something like, "I'm sorry, that was a very stupid thing to say." And he immediately says, "thats okay." And its like a huge weight lifts off her shoulders.

Then he also says something like "Some people just haven't been exposed to other cultures very much." And she thinks, hmmm, that seems to imply that I am a closed minded person. I most certainly am not a closed minded person!
So then she says, "Well, I don't know, I know I don't want to be one now. But who knows, maybe I could be Muslim one day. I mean, I never really thought about it. But," now she feels like she's kind of going off on a grand, soaring arc, "I guess anything is possible. Like, maybe if I married a Muslim, or something like that, what do you think?" And for some reason she just thinks he will say reply by saying something like, "Oh yes, that'd be great!" However, that is not what he says. What he says is more along the lines of, "Well, I definitely don't think that you should do anything for the wrong reason." And, in a way. this answer kind of disappoints her slightly because it wasn't quite in the vein of her spontaneity. But then they get to his house and they part and they both agree that they are glad that they are so young that this is not something they really have to worry about.

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