I'm supposed to be STUDYING

But the blog links are all lined up so nice on my links toolbar, and they just want to be clicked.

My gripe.

Oh I have so many, reading blogs is an exercise in frustration at the moment. This one persists: the tendancy of people to surround themselves by those who are just like them. There should be balance. I have lots of friends who think like I do about the world. In sum, hate GWB, hate poverty, inequality, American political tactics, racism, capitalism and the 'system' in which we find ourselves. Like: nature, recycling, the enviromental movement, sustainability, New Zealand and rather left wing politics. You get the picture. This is a good thing, because my ideas are refined, my friends accept me and we don't have constant arguments, and I see myself positively reflected in them. This reinforces my idea of self, and REALLY helps with the old persisting self esteem issues.

However, I go to a rather right wing, prosperity preaching, happy clappy pentecostal church. That's not the whole story, there's lots of artists and cool cool people that I totally love, but on the whole that's the set up. Sometimes I get so cross I can hardly stand it. The temptation to go find some leftie greenie treehugging church is strong. To find some alternative 'emerging' church. But if I did that I would surround myself with people who think JUST like me, and my ideas would never be challenged. I would forget that rich people are people to. I would forget that there are other agendas out there, other important values and truths, and other ways of thinking. I would forget that those are just as valuable and valid as mine.

So I stick at the church that rubs me up the wrong way sometimes, and I believe in it. It is so good to be challenged, even if it hurts sometimes.

And finally, as someone once said, we have to BE the change we want to see in the world. If I want my church to be more lefty greeny tree huggy, then I better start effecting change instead of just whinging about it on my blog!