TABOO

People say you should never talk about Religion or Politics, but actually - I love talking about them both. And having a religious and a political discussion in one day is even better.

I find you can really learn a lot about a person (in a surprisingly short amount of time) by bringing up one of these two taboo topics. And what I find interesting is that you mostly learn about them from the things they are quick to mention that they do not like. You learn about their dislikes first - and then they tell you (or you might infer) what it is they do like.

Why is it that we immediately point out the things we don't like? What about us as humans is so often "glass half empty"? We say things like "that guy's too crazy to be the president" or "how could anyone believe that polygamy is a commandment from god"; we feel out the other person by asking "how could she possibly know for sure what happens when we die" or "didn't you think his policy on health care was lame"... and even if we're not so sure ourselves, we want someone else to agree with us. Misery loves company, right? It's easy bonding.

It's much more difficult to say "Because I think she's the best candidate" when all of your collegues are voting for the other guy. It's much more difficult to say "Yes, I do believe that Jesus died for my sins" when it's not the PC thing to state outside of church.

But I find the people who are able to positively state their own Truths - with pure conviction - to be the most facinating. Even if I don't agree with them, there is always a bit of envy, of admiration in me - to believe so strongly in something that you are willing to risk being too "taboo".