My first experience of outright non-tolerance
Wow...yesterday was a jumble of emotion for me.
I get a call at 7:30 in the morning that my Mom is being rushed to the Hospital with symptoms presenting a heart issue. I get dressed and make like a small aircraft toward the hospital. After clearing myself for landing with the tower...I park in emergency parking and begin to get things ready. I do what I always do when I'm at the hospital...I grab my vial of Oil and church ID badge.
See...as a deacon and now as an elder of a church...I've been ordained as clergy. A heavy idea if you think about it. However...while having my Church ID has let me get out of paying for parking a few times at various hospitals...I've always felt it's my obligation to wear it when I'm in the hospital for anyone...just in case there's an opportunity to pray with someone who needs it. So I just grab it out of my center console in the truck and my vial of oil is always in the front dash board. I put em on...and go in to see whomever I'm seeing.
Fast forward a bit...I get into the ER and Mom's just getting hooked up to the machines. Now this is a part I DEFINITELY don't need to be a part of. I decide to while away a few minutes getting setup on the wireless in the hospital so I can maybe try to do work, update FB and just keep my brain from exploding. As I'm logging into my laptop, this orderly dude comes over and puts his head AROUND my screen and is like "Whatcha doing?"
Here's the thing...it's not that I'm NOT a people person...but I'm a BIG fan of personal space. I don't like people I don't know real well just kinda jumpin in my grill or being somewhat obnoxious. ESPECIALLY when my Mom is getting hooked up to a heart monitor and I'm freaking out. However I am kind and say "I'm just getting into the wireless so I can stay on top of email and maybe do a little work while we wait".
"OH GOOD!" he says. "Work ith very important".
I feel the need to say the below...
I am not...nor have I ever been a homophobe. I worked in Theatre a long time. I have NO PROBLEM with knowing or being friends (or even family) with gay people, and have never been once accused of insensitivity or gay bashing. My beliefs are that while the bible is PRETTY CLEAR on this topic...and I believe in the bible...my personal feeling is that homosexuality is no greater or lesser a sin than premarital sex or any other number of sin. So I refuse to treat people like lepers who are just as bad as I am (having been and still am a sinner). I just feel the need to say that here...because I don't want this misinterpreted as me bashing on a dude because of how I perceive he may live his life. However this guy's mannerisms and speech pattern led me to the conclusion that he is MOST likely gay. Maybe I'm wrong to have it color my perception of the rest of the story...but given his behavior to me...I'm going to take this as a given. I mean no offense to anyone...again this is just my perception of a person working in the ER.
So...later on...I'm sitting there and doing some work and my buddy walks in again. He AGAIN looks around my screen to see me updating FB (which AGAIN annoys me) and then sees my badge.
"What's This?" he asks. AND PROCEEDS TO TOUCH ME AND GRAB MY BADGE (I also am somewhat touchy).
"My ID...I'm an elder of a church and I wear it in case someone needs prayer or..."
He interrupts pointedly "You're a Minister? What Denomination?"
"Non-Denominational, I'm a believer in Jes-"
"OH YOU'RE A BA? One of THOSE??????"
Now I'm stammering "BA? um...BA?" and I'm thinking my buddy here is a fan of the A-Team or something.
He says "One of them Born-Agains...oooo" and backs away slowly.
For the rest of the time my mother was in emergency...this guy would make snide comments about things. My Dad makes a joke about needing a beer after the morning he's had and this guy corrects him in front of me "Not in front of him...don't want to have to report him to the priest" etc.
See I understand that this guy has probably been 'brick bibled' to DEATH. That many people professing faith in Jesus Christ have come at him HARD trying to 'fix' him. I'm sure one or many have offended him in some way...and for that I am TRULY sorry.
However...in all my life I've never even met this guy. To have this guy who probably feels like tolerance is important in today's society...and if I'm correct in my assumption...has felt alienated as an adult...why can't he be tolerant of me? Why must he alienate me?
I take it as a sign of me being on the right path don't get me wrong. The bible states that to take flack for being a believer is not a bad thing as it is a result of living for Him and not the world. Still the problem I have is the timing. In any other circumstance I would have called this guy out. Talked to him about God and gotten in a discussion/debate about why I feel he's a jerk for judging me when I'm willing to bet he's not a fan of people snap-judging him (which I am FULLY aware I probably did by just assuming he's gay)...however snap-judgements are NORMAL...it's how you react that's different.
No what I did was smile and take it and quietly seethe. See the BIGGEST problem I have is that...MY MOM WAS IN THE HOSPITAL! At what point is it ok to bust someone's chops who you don't know and who hasn't engaged you while his mother is having little alarms go off from a machine you see on ER and NEVER think you'd ever see in real life hooked to a loved one? What kind of callous medical professional DOES that? I'd rather have a 'Nurse Ratchet" type who's bedside manner is lacking, but kicks serious BUTT when doing something medical than some jerk who masks his political viewpoints in jokes about someone's relationship with the God of this universe while his loved one is sitting in a urine smelling emergency room.
It just REALLY annoyed me so I felt I had to write it. Again hope I didn't offend anyone...if I did...I'm truly sorry.
Thanks for reading;
I get a call at 7:30 in the morning that my Mom is being rushed to the Hospital with symptoms presenting a heart issue. I get dressed and make like a small aircraft toward the hospital. After clearing myself for landing with the tower...I park in emergency parking and begin to get things ready. I do what I always do when I'm at the hospital...I grab my vial of Oil and church ID badge.
See...as a deacon and now as an elder of a church...I've been ordained as clergy. A heavy idea if you think about it. However...while having my Church ID has let me get out of paying for parking a few times at various hospitals...I've always felt it's my obligation to wear it when I'm in the hospital for anyone...just in case there's an opportunity to pray with someone who needs it. So I just grab it out of my center console in the truck and my vial of oil is always in the front dash board. I put em on...and go in to see whomever I'm seeing.
Fast forward a bit...I get into the ER and Mom's just getting hooked up to the machines. Now this is a part I DEFINITELY don't need to be a part of. I decide to while away a few minutes getting setup on the wireless in the hospital so I can maybe try to do work, update FB and just keep my brain from exploding. As I'm logging into my laptop, this orderly dude comes over and puts his head AROUND my screen and is like "Whatcha doing?"
Here's the thing...it's not that I'm NOT a people person...but I'm a BIG fan of personal space. I don't like people I don't know real well just kinda jumpin in my grill or being somewhat obnoxious. ESPECIALLY when my Mom is getting hooked up to a heart monitor and I'm freaking out. However I am kind and say "I'm just getting into the wireless so I can stay on top of email and maybe do a little work while we wait".
"OH GOOD!" he says. "Work ith very important".
I feel the need to say the below...
I am not...nor have I ever been a homophobe. I worked in Theatre a long time. I have NO PROBLEM with knowing or being friends (or even family) with gay people, and have never been once accused of insensitivity or gay bashing. My beliefs are that while the bible is PRETTY CLEAR on this topic...and I believe in the bible...my personal feeling is that homosexuality is no greater or lesser a sin than premarital sex or any other number of sin. So I refuse to treat people like lepers who are just as bad as I am (having been and still am a sinner). I just feel the need to say that here...because I don't want this misinterpreted as me bashing on a dude because of how I perceive he may live his life. However this guy's mannerisms and speech pattern led me to the conclusion that he is MOST likely gay. Maybe I'm wrong to have it color my perception of the rest of the story...but given his behavior to me...I'm going to take this as a given. I mean no offense to anyone...again this is just my perception of a person working in the ER.
So...later on...I'm sitting there and doing some work and my buddy walks in again. He AGAIN looks around my screen to see me updating FB (which AGAIN annoys me) and then sees my badge.
"What's This?" he asks. AND PROCEEDS TO TOUCH ME AND GRAB MY BADGE (I also am somewhat touchy).
"My ID...I'm an elder of a church and I wear it in case someone needs prayer or..."
He interrupts pointedly "You're a Minister? What Denomination?"
"Non-Denominational, I'm a believer in Jes-"
"OH YOU'RE A BA? One of THOSE??????"
Now I'm stammering "BA? um...BA?" and I'm thinking my buddy here is a fan of the A-Team or something.
He says "One of them Born-Agains...oooo" and backs away slowly.
For the rest of the time my mother was in emergency...this guy would make snide comments about things. My Dad makes a joke about needing a beer after the morning he's had and this guy corrects him in front of me "Not in front of him...don't want to have to report him to the priest" etc.
See I understand that this guy has probably been 'brick bibled' to DEATH. That many people professing faith in Jesus Christ have come at him HARD trying to 'fix' him. I'm sure one or many have offended him in some way...and for that I am TRULY sorry.
However...in all my life I've never even met this guy. To have this guy who probably feels like tolerance is important in today's society...and if I'm correct in my assumption...has felt alienated as an adult...why can't he be tolerant of me? Why must he alienate me?
I take it as a sign of me being on the right path don't get me wrong. The bible states that to take flack for being a believer is not a bad thing as it is a result of living for Him and not the world. Still the problem I have is the timing. In any other circumstance I would have called this guy out. Talked to him about God and gotten in a discussion/debate about why I feel he's a jerk for judging me when I'm willing to bet he's not a fan of people snap-judging him (which I am FULLY aware I probably did by just assuming he's gay)...however snap-judgements are NORMAL...it's how you react that's different.
No what I did was smile and take it and quietly seethe. See the BIGGEST problem I have is that...MY MOM WAS IN THE HOSPITAL! At what point is it ok to bust someone's chops who you don't know and who hasn't engaged you while his mother is having little alarms go off from a machine you see on ER and NEVER think you'd ever see in real life hooked to a loved one? What kind of callous medical professional DOES that? I'd rather have a 'Nurse Ratchet" type who's bedside manner is lacking, but kicks serious BUTT when doing something medical than some jerk who masks his political viewpoints in jokes about someone's relationship with the God of this universe while his loved one is sitting in a urine smelling emergency room.
It just REALLY annoyed me so I felt I had to write it. Again hope I didn't offend anyone...if I did...I'm truly sorry.
Thanks for reading;
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