I don't get it...

Those who know me  and those who have been reading have probably figured out that there are a lot of things I don't get. (Hopefully, I got at least one smile out of that line if not a laugh)  But in the last few weeks a few things have been added to the list.

I heard on Friday that Ron Artest wants to legally change his name to Metta World Peace. For those that may not know who he is he was the NBA player who basically started a fight that was crazy and went into the stands about 10 years ago in Indianapolis. He has done some odd things before and I personally think of him as today's Dennis Rodman; goofy guys who are difficult to take seriously.

I take this news a little more seriously that I did at first because I heard Michael Wilbon on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption say that he personally knows Mr Artest and that it seems like he is on a personal spiritual journey. I admire Mr Wilbon and his opinion means something to me, so I will take what Mr Artest wants to do a little more seriously.

But I don't get changing your name for your religion or too make a point. I don't think that really accomplishes anything. I know that Muhmmamad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabbar did the same thing but I have never really understood why.

When I have heard of someone doing this the same thing always goes through my mind: "isn't changing your name disrespecting your parents"? I don't know this for a fact but I suspect that most parents name their children what they name them for specific reasons and it just seems altering that is a disrespectful thing to do.  I have considered in the past changing my name for a couple of reasons, one is serious and I would rather not go in that here and the other would be just to get my parents and every body who calls me Robert to stop calling me that. I have told my parents I don't being called that but it hasn't changed anything and at this point I don't think it would feel right to have them call me anything else. But I would never do that out of respect for them.

I really, really don't get Chastity Bono changing her sex. In fact, I am a little offended by it actually.  I have no problem with people being gay because I believe they probably were born gay. I know some would disagree with that but that is what I believe. But changing you sex just says to me that you know better than God does and it says that you think God made you wrong. And that is just offensive to me.

Yes, I went through a stage where I thought that my being born disabled was wrong. But my thinking that way was wrong.  God made me what I am because this is the way I was meant to learn life's lessons; my body was the vessel that was chosen for me to get through this world. No I haven't taken great care of it but that I believe is part of my life's lessens.

I have been asked a few times  in the past if I could magically be able bodied would I do it? And my answer is always NO. Somewhere inside of me I have understood I am physically who I am.  And in every other way I am who I am right now but time changes everything; so my thoughts and believes  are still evolving in the way they should.

To physically change from man to woman or woman to man is just morally wrong to me. And I don't get it.

Am I saying that I know better than Ms/Mr Bono?  No, if that person thinks what was done is right, that is something they have to deal with.   I don't think I am judging but I do have a right to say I disagree, I don't understand it and my beliefs are different. And I think that is OK.

And to me that is part of the problem in this country--too many people want to impose their morals and beliefs onto others. And  in doing that problems are created.

We need to get along, accept differences and when possible calmly and rationally talk about those differences so that understanding and unity can be achieved.  This has been said before but if we were all the same wouldn't this be a boring world?