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DRoseDARs
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"My god, it's full of peas..."
Jul 2002
time: 21:32
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Warning: A little bit of rambling and ranting ahead.
My grandmother is dying a slow, lingering death in St. Petersburg, Florida and I'm here in Reno, Nevada. Lovely. Though, both my mom and her sister are at granny's bedside for the most part so at least there's that.
I had errands to run today and in the midst of that I saw 2 sets of people in need and a whole lot of sets of people who simply didn't care. The first was a couple from Oregon holding a sign at the exit of a shopping plaza just trying to make their way to Ohio. Their son had just returned from Fallujah after having his right leg blown off and they were told to come see him in the hospital he's been placed in. And wouldn't you know it, the one time they really need to drive cross-country is the one time they have serious car trouble. Something in their minivan blew and cost $1400 to fix, leaving them with practically nothing to leave Reno with as they don't have credit cards and all the money they brought with them was sunk into the van. In the brief time our paths crossed, these people are decent, hardworking folk. To have them tell me that all day they've had people yell at and treat them like scum is absolutely heart-wrenching and mind-blowingly enraging. What's more, when I first saw them I also noticed the guy in front of me turning right had a number of Jesus this and God that stickers all over the back of his truck.
Didn't even glance at the couple next to whom he'd been sitting next to for a minute while waiting to turn right.
I had to go to a nearby store to look for something first, but once I got close enough to get the jist of their sign I decided to swing back afterwards and try to help out. Basically, they need gas money so I hit up a nearby branch of my bank and withdrew a $100; gave them $80 (they've got a long way to drive = lots of gas) of it. While I was leaving the store I needed to go to before I could help them I saw a homeless vet with another sign (never got a good look at it)...standing exactly where I saw him the day before. Once I'd gotten the money out of the ATM, I decided he should get $20 out of what I was already withdrawing.
I broke down (sobbing, not car trouble) while driving north on the freeway towards work (not TO work, but to drop stuff off). The absolute contempt people have for one another. Treating people like they're invisible, or worse, like they're a spittoon. This and my grandmother going slowly was too much. I didn't crash and didn't have any near-misses (that I know of...  ), but still it wasn't a fun drive. I was better when I got there and was safe to drive home.
What is it with people A) wearing their religion on their sleeve or car, B) wearing their patriotism on their sleeve or car, C) wearing their religion AND their patriotism on their sleeve or car ... and yet they can't be arsed to help or even care about a stranded family or a homeless veteran?
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embalmer42
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The Great State Of Insanity
Jan 2000
time: 05:32
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My day was bad...but not as bad as yours.
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Pekka
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em seu burro dos pais!
Feb 2002
time: 07:32
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drosedars, well, you're a good person for taking action and not just stating you care about other people. What's the matter with people wearing their religion on their sleeve, I guess nothing, except when they don't do what they preach, makes them hypocrites. You know, the ugly people.
But, then again, we don't know what the situation of the sticker person is. That person might be busy to do something else, and it might be equally as important, helping someone else, or just a fact that most people don't have the time to help every day, even if they want to help and often do.
But it says a lot if they've been treated like scum. When you have the option of helping and you don't use it for a reason that might be a good and valid one, you can also use the option of not treating someone like scum, why would you take the effort to that then.
I don't know, must be cultural thing also, wearing religion on your sleave. For example you don't see it in here. I have never in my life seen a Jesus sticker outside US. And I've seen a lot of them in there. The cultural part is, normal people go to church in there even if they are not super religious. In here, no one goes to church, even if religious. It's something individual, something that you are not supposed to discuss too much, or put pressure on other people about it. It is considered rude and pressuring. Even if there are two lutherans, and no one else, and a topic would come out where it would be natural to talk about something, it never happens because it's not natural in here. YOu don't talk about your faith, period. And it's everyones choice too, it's not like you CAN'T talk about it if you want to. You shut up, do your work, keep quiet and be humble, that's it. Period. Marry in church, go to church on Christmas and maybe Easter, die, and go to burial ground and be blessed by a pastor, and that's it. Pay taxes to church. That's all there is to it, and the rest is up to you, but what ever you do, keep it to yourself. THat's how it's done in here, it could seem weird to people in there, but the Jesus stickers are weird to us, even close to blasphemy. In here, you show humbleness and respect by not talkign about it all the time. In somewhere else, it is practicing and all that, to talk about it. IN here, definitely not, has the exact opposite effect. We consider showing something too much cheapening. Just like we don't wave flags, even though we are proud of it, because it's special, so making it every day is cheapening it in our minds. And that's why many of us consider the US to be the ultimate Jesusland that is almost blasphemeous in a way. Sorry  .
But don't worry! I know better.. it's just cultural differencies, that's all. You're doing what we are, but in different way.
Also, we don't consider God to be blessing a nation but individuals. Of course you can ask for protection for your nation, but that's like a crisis thing if you're facing a wipeout by some enemy. And then, you're not supposed to ask for the destruction or misfortune of your enemy, but strength to yourself, because you're not supposed to wish for someone elses misfortune in Gods name.
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MRT144
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Seattle Washington
Oct 2002
time: 21:32
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Starchild, hook me up with a job
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Jon Miller
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you know that they pay you in dildos
JM
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Jon Miller
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sorry about you day btw..
JM
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Flubber
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With a view of the Rockies
Aug 2000
time: 22:32
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Drosedars I salute your willingness to help those in need.
I just sincerely hope you weren't taken in by a con artist. Maybe I am jaded but there are several versions of hard luck stories here that are known to be frauds.
I was approached with a detailed hard luck story in an office food court one day. The level of detail was amazing and I might have been been tempted to help but for the fact that I had heard the same gentleman give the exact same spiel about a month previously. ( Including the amount, the medical condition and the requested amount for cabfare to get to this crucial appointment)
Oh and my whole week has sucked-- probably more than most people-- it probably ranks as one of the worst weeks ever
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01-04-2005 07:36
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