It strikes me now how very Christian Milton High School is. I guess, by living in the South and the Bible Belt (aren't we in the Bible Belt?) that kind of Christian-influenced local culture should be a given, but I never recognized the sway it held until I came to a university that's attended and operated by hardcore atheists. The opinion on Christians here isn't so much "You're wrong and your misled beliefs are destroying the world" but a disparaging scoff accompanied by "We're adults now, OK? It's time to stop believing in Santa Claus," as if it's a matter of "How could you be this educated and still believe that a God exists?" It's an atmosphere that I find surprisingly uncomfortable. Maybe it's just a but of a culture shock going from a sea of Jesus fish to, I don't know, Mad Libs, a pond of smart-ass atheist toads. Despite my beliefs, I'd almost prefer living in a community of very religious, if sometimes obnoxious, people than a community of faithless cynics. I don't know. A lot of people have problems with Christians, and the whole locus of criticisms in high school was the kids who went to FCA on Fridays morning and turned into drunken jerks later that night, but the fact is, I hold that as an individual fault and not a reflection on the religion. I dig Christians, and I think J.C. was a righteous dude with a code of ethics that wasn't half-bad. What's preferable, a secular perspective that condemns hypocrites, or a religion that believes that they can be forgiven and changed?

So I feel bad for all 12 and three-quarters Christians who go to my school, except for the one that's in my Euro Civ class, who manages to bring Jesus into every single discussion thread we have. And then we read the Gospel of Matthew, to gain an understanding of Judaic law and culture in the Roman Empire, and guess who has their hand raised the whole time. There's a difference between offering a Christian perspective and being preached to. And of course, every faculty member has to handle these kinds of students gently, and say that yes, that's a good point about the salvation and the Resurrection, but I'd like to get back to the original question about 1st century agricultural trends. Again, I don't think this is reflective of Christians, just of people who like to play the victim and hear themselves talk, because, hell, there's an admirable element of being thrown to the lions in being a Christian at Chicago, isn't there?

But they can remove the stick from their own eye. I've been thinking about my own recent discussion contributions, and I think I'm becoming one of those annoying people who says things having nothing to do with the topic at hand. Like today in the aforementioned course, the instructor asks "OK, so what kind of texts does Gratian think have authority over ecclesiastical law?" and I answer something along the lines of "Well, I think in the future most jobs will be replaced by robots." It surely wasn't as classic as Amber's observation, but the teacher does an "Uhhhh.... yeahhh" which would've put Wade to shame. I think I have to write this weekend's paper extra-extra-well to remove doubt of my intelligence.

I thought about it, and I decided to post those Badly Drawn Boy lyrics here anyway, because it's such a great song...

"A Minor Incident"

There's nothing I could say to make you try and feel ok
And nothing you could do to stop me feeling the way I do
And if the chance should happen that I never see you again
Just remember that I'll always love you

I'd be a better person on the other side I'm sure
You'd find a way to help yourself
Then find another door
To shrug off minor incidents
Make us both feel proud
I'd just wish I be there to see u through

You always were the one to make us stand out in the crowd
Though every once apon a while your head was in a cloud
There's nothing u could never do to ever let me down
And remember that ill always love you