With my daughter turning 13 recently, I am now the proud father of two teenagers, old and interested enough to recognise their version of rights and wrongs in the wider grey yet colourful world, too lazy to research the plausible historic causes and too young to visualise the many roads ahead.
They no longer care how not that long ago I spent too much time in supermarkets trying to understand the difference between diapers for girls and boys. Every day I often silently enjoy to see the woman and man they are becoming, each at their own rhythm, changing or holding on to their own individual stubbornness or determination. Pretty normal kids, highly special to me, normal to the outside world. I am sure we occasionally comment amongst each other when we cross with someone ugly, clumsy, strange, cool, sharp, selfish, noisy, etc, especially if momentarily we are that someone, but we let people be what they are or choose to be and are attentive to those who do not have the privilege of choice.
If my family was a country, it's governance would probably be categorised as liberal with a conservative undertone. Everything goes, which does not mean everything needs to be out in the open for opinions.
My boy is evolving wonderfully in the world of martial arts and for quite some years his Sensei and other athletes often refer to him as X-Man corresponding to his name and favourite shirt. Lately, we occasionally laugh about the expression since due to what is being extensively debated in the wider world, it could be read or heard as ex-man. Apparently there are many and even more wannabe's.
My girl is still in a chapter of colours, the more the merrier. Rainbow unicorns, colour runs, and now to make sure she is equipped in the best possible manner for volleyball, the search for quality sportive and fun socks brought us to a variety including rainbow socks. But, just before I clicked to order, she got second thoughts. All of a sudden, rainbow hints homosexuality above all and that is not what is or should be the predominant thought when parading on and off the volleyball courts.
Lately, there are rainbows everywhere and not due to natural phenomena combining rain and sunshine but man-made (human being made) from plastic and paint. Rainbow seems the new black. It almost appears to have become compulsory to wear or bear something rainbowish to avoid being questioned about one's values towards inclusiveness and anti-discrimination. Football stadia, leading politicians, publicity .. if you are not with us, you probably are against us.
Nooo!
The organising and increasingly more loud LGBTetc community claiming to represent all individuals that match at least one letter in their acronym is making so much noise it may soon want to add deaf and blind as well.
Do your thing, go your own precious way, socialise and organise, share your struggles if it gives you a sense of pride, but pretty please, for everyone's sake, do not assume the rest of the world is ignorant just because it is busy elsewhere. If you insist with the type of noisy and opportunistic persistence as we inevatibly had to see recently, your one way path may very well become hurdled by more than one or the other national government or their future electorate.
The silent majority does not share your sense of priority, It does not mean we do not care. It just shows we are confident in your ability to surpass your struggles just like everybody else in a somewhat tormented world. After rain comes sunshine and wherever they come together, I will have my short moment of zen, sit back and continue to enjoy the mystery of nature, nothing else.
