The Nitty Gritty of Raw Food Religion (Or, Typical Forum Behaviour?)

The reason I was drawn to the raw food lifestyle was because it seemed everyone I heard about, every blog I read, and everywhere I looked, people were enjoying OPTIMAL HEALTH. When I talk about health, I mean well-being as a whole person - physically, spiritually, and mentally. Oh yeah, and emotionally.

And while I have been truly blessed to meet some wonderful and significant people along the way, it seems like every time I want to partake in some open minded discussion ANYWHERE, I get razed because I'm too non-denominational. While this post was inspired by events here on GI2MR, please be aware that it is not limited to it.

We all have our difficulties in life, and for me, it's been religion. There's no need to go into further detail here than to just touch on the fact that I was raised, brainwashed, and literally scared to death with the promise of hell, and well, let's just say it's taken a good 24 years to finally begin freeing myself of the guilt and disposition associated with such an upbringing.

And really, when I say religion, realize that I am not only talking about God, or 'whatever', because one thing I've learned from being around religious fanatics my whole life, is that they take many shapes and forms.

Now, a Word from the Gospel of Wikipedia:

A religion is a set of beliefs and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature, and often codified as prayer, ritual, or religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.

This is a pretty open ended definition, except for the "supernatural" part really. We all have our own "personal faith" and moral beliefs, which we will often times build our own religious laws on - even about health and nutrition... AND raw food. A more modern way of defining it? Well, just how hardcore are you?

But what I don't get, is when people stop saying "this is what I do..." and start telling others that this is what THEY should do, too. And if they don't, if they're not as 'hardcore', they're somehow less important?

TWICE today, people misread my posts, or didn't understand, couldn't identify with what I was saying, or WHATEVER, and addressed the entries specifically to tell me I was wrong - one of which, I was completely RAZED for.

You know, I could be wrong here, but if you're going to respond to someone's point of view, wouldn't you want to know a little more about them, so you could understand it better? I mean, we research raw food and nutrition to have a deeper understanding of it, but when it comes to other people's moral systems and personal beliefs, we just forget that there's other facets to life than our own, and we get to decide what is right and wrong over all, and for everyone?

I've taken great pangs to get to where I am today, and the last thing I need is someone who lives in a different community, who doesn't know me personally, who comes from a whole different set of circumstances to start preaching to me and telling me what I am, and what I am not. I don't even care if we would compare our entire lives to each other's, take stock of all our actions, to see who "did better": it doesn't matter, because we are all different, even given our mystical connections to one another here on earth, as we are now, we will never be the same, and that's ok.

I don't fit into a category, nor am I defined entirely by what I do. I am not linear, nor do I wish to be.

I realize at this point that I am rambling, but I woke up to this bs, and now I'm going to bed to it too. I joined this community to be with like minded individuals, not to be compared to them, and definitely not to compete with them. I quit school less than a month ago because the industry I was being trained in implied unhealthy competition and unethical practices IMO. I made a vow to myself then and there that I wouldn't let it happen to me anymore, that I wanted to follow a more nurturing, loving and forgiving path, that path being holistic health and healing through nutrition and LOVE.

I feel like today was a test. Although I responded shortly on the forum to one of the posts only, it was curt, which goes against what I believe in. I always try to make my posts positive, loving, and inspiring if I can, although it obviously does not come off that way to everyone. I had to restrain myself from writing an even more curt one tonight, and I was stressed today about the whole thing.

I found that in my attempt to respect myself for who I am and my beliefs, I would have jeopardized them for my ego, to defend my actions, and explain myself. In the end, they're just words, and they didn't really hurt me, but it angered me that it had to be taken this far, and publicly. There are SO MANY THREADS that I have stopped following because people bring their own personal, petty, nit-picking bullshit into them - which is TOTALLY typical of a forum. Funny thing, I was hesitant to join GI2MR for this reason specifically. I used to play RTS games online, my husband still does, and I know how negative and pointless most forum arguments are.

This space is supposed to be sacred, and what is sacred to me? Respect. I respect myself, and I try to respect others. I totally understand where this guy was coming from - hey, I myself would have written a similar post a long time ago. But now? It doesn't even interest me - I couldn't even be bothered to respond to the whole issue in the end, because I've seen this sort of thing before, and know exactly where it's going: unproductive bickering via the internet is just not one of my interests anymore.

I just spent 1 year in Audio Engineering, the only female in a class full of metal heads. At first, I welcomed it as a challenge, but then I realized there was more to life than upping the ante, and being 'hardcore', and that competition is so ridiculous.

I don't need to be hardcore in life, or on this forum... I just want to be me, and that's exactly what I'm going to do, and I am not going to let some negative nancies scare or guilt me out of who I am.

Don't feel shame for who you are, no matter what anyone says: don't feel bad that you used to be something than you are now. Shame and guilt do not come from love, and they are not productive. Don't be afraid to do what you know is best for you.