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I grew up during the Father Knows Best, Ozzie and Harriett, and “Hello, Lucy, I’m home!” era. Life was predictable, polite, mostly white, and straight. The term gay meant a state of joyfulness. When homosexuality was mentioned—it was never mentioned in my home or in polite society—it was a hushed reference to a fairy, a queer or a faggot followed by a snide ha ha.
Ah, but that was the ‘50’s, before life represented art, and art represented life. Enter the ‘60’s—Viet Nam, Kennedy’s assassination, and civil rights demonstrations—and the word gay became the appropriate reference to members of the community exiting the closet.
I was friends with and worked with gay people early on in my life, having gone into show business in my teens. In show business, one encountered nearly every type and blend of the human specie possible. Working with and being friends with gay people was a natural element of the entertainment culture. It never seemed like a big deal to me.
Moreover, I never understood how any minority could discriminate against another minority, gay or otherwise. For example, for a Jew to discriminate against some gay is as audacious as a black discriminating against a Jew.
The recent California vote against gay marriage is a case on point. Those who claim they are Christians and yet voted no on religious grounds exemplify a gross example of hypocrisy. How can one say they are a follower of Jesus’ teachings and invalidate his 11th commandment to “love one another?” Love is love without condition or judgment. The Apostle Paul says it best in 1 Corinthians 13:4.
To those who would say that gays choose to be gay I would ask two questions: First, who in the right mind, given all the problems being gay presents, would choose to be gay? And second, do you remember when you chose to be a heterosexual?
To deny those who prefer their love to be with one of their same sex and yet claim to be a Christian is an irony beyond reason.
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It’s only fitting that this week’s show would be on Adaptability One of the reasons I love producing Beyond Reason is that I’m able to work on my own issues while booking interviews that are timely for us all. Seems no matter what’s going on in my world, everyone around me is dealing in some facet of the same, so this week’s show was particularly timely.
The prize however, goes to my pup, Ike, whose alpha dog tenacity has given way to a whole new personality. Three weeks ago Ike was diagnosed with SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration). In a nutshell: instant blindness. I have long heard of seeing eye dogs. Well now Ike has seeing eye people.
Sparing you the lengthy version of what we’ve been through (not the least of which included a lot of crying on both our parts as it came about so suddenly), bottom line is a dog’s vision is not just about eyesight. It’s about who they are. Where once Ike prided himself on being my sole protectorate, he now turns his head in the direction of the sound as if to say, “Sorry babe…Can’t help you, anymore. But can you reach those dog treats?”
Where once this feisty little fuzz ball jumped at the slightest squirrel, bird or chipmonk, he now sees none of these, but instead, walks, not ahead, but a few steps behind, as he listens for the sound of our footsteps.
Three weeks ago, I would’ve said, “He’d just as soon be dead as to live out his days without the ability to be in charge.” Today I say, “If Ike can adapt, anyone can adapt.” I didn’t think it was possible for the little guy to be any more godlike than I already find him to be…But here of late, he’s taken spiritual to a whole new level.
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