This is me trying to deconstruct a perplexing and confronting situation that happened today.
I was waiting for a train and Mark the Missionary, yep, approached and sat down next to me (btw I thought having headphones in your ears created some invisible shield from you and society - it doesn’t).
I always imagined this being the worst situation ever where I would disappoint the man with my disturbing lack of faith and he would be, “Shun the non-believer!”
It wasn’t that bad, actually. I would describe it as awkwardly pleasant.
Awkward because he asked about my relationship with my dad and jumped on any moment that would help me get converted to his religion.
Pleasant because he was a nice guy just trying to spread his message of ‘good, love and faith’ and was really accepting.
I tried to steer the conversation away from religion as I’m extremely nervous about the issue (personal note: must read more Dawkins to strengthen arguments, I was like “Yeaaahhh mann coool Big Bang, spaaaace, evolution and all that shit yeeeeahhh…”)
As my ideas of the stereotypical religious preacher were being broken, some terribly aged, overweight and cap wearing woman walks up to us and starts verbally abusing Mark the Missionary! She just went on about him going back to his country and saying “we” didn’t need his religious poo (lots of profanity omitted).
I was as shocked as he was and apologised profusely. IDK. Confronting stuff, right?
And it was just weird to experience that. Two extremes presenting themselves right before my smudged spectacles. It was an incredibly contradictory moment.
Mark the Missionary showed himself to be clear and logical in his faith. While this hag was fueled by emotion and rage in her own understanding of the world.
Here I was thinking that I should have feared this man more so than the folk I travel with but it was quite the opposite. That woman was ugly and mean.
What am I to take from this?
If each one represented their society and culture, are serious religious types like Mark the Missionary more approachable, trustworthy and level headed than the non-believing (assuming that hag was) dregs we share a train with?
OR was it that truth had an ugly face and was casting away the facade of the kind preacher man and his nonsensical teachings?
Fucked if I know.
I just wanted to see Liam Neeson kick some wolves’ ass AND even that had religious underpinnings to it.
All this hoopla is slapping me left, right and centre.
I should’ve just stayed home, made GIFs of irrelevant subjects and continued my reading of A Game of Thrones.
That’s it! Stay home, never go outside.
