When your going to dinner to meet your significant other's parents or to seal the deal on a business transaction, etc. what is the one thing people always jokingly say, but sincerely mean? "Don't bring up religion and/or politics, haha." And well I can see why, those two topics are the cause of many heated argu...I mean discussions. Because so, I want to do the same with this blog mine; keep it relatively politic/religion free. But today, I'm going delve outside of this want of mine, only slightly, and discuss where I fall in the world of religion(s). As I like to say before my touchier blog topics, I do not intend to offend people. I didn't create this blog to make friends or enemies, just speak my mind as respectfully as I can. If I offend you now or you disagree, feel free to comment, but don't just come at me, guns blazing, lashing out, because I don't need that and I will delete your comment. So let's get started:
I was born into a large Irish Catholic family with a strong long-time foundation built from the Catholic church. All of my family members were baptized and raised to be Catholic. Naturally, when I was born, I was no exception. This meant private Catholic schooling for 12 years, mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation, and prayer before meals/bed. At first, my father, who was not a religious man, was not on board with the idea of us being baptized, he felt we should get to decide our religion our self. And my mom said that that was perfectly fine, but they were gonna have a foundation to base it off of, and that would Catholicism. I don't know what happened, but following my oldest siblings baptism, he was very on board. Now 19 years later, a sophomore in college, I'm not the best Catholic compared to myself before college (which is ironic because my school is a private Catholic university) or compared to most Catholics in general. Since I got to college and my mom isn't here to monitor my religious participation, my religious life has really gone by the wayside. I don't attend mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation, I don't pray before meals/bed, and to be honest, I really question a lot about not only my religion, but all religions.
For starters, I was taught during my first twelve years of schooling that: Catholicism is the correct religion. While others may have great tenets and good teachings, it and its participants unfortunately fall short, but God will forgive them of their "naïvety" upon their deaths and let them into heaven, granted that they lived a life trying to be good to others the best they could. And I think that is b.s. What gives any religion the right to say they are the right one. How much would it suck for Catholics if the day we died, we got to the afterlife and discovered we were wrong. Or vice versa for any other religion compared to ours. And don't get me wrong, I'm sure other religions teach/say the same thing about who is correct. But that's why the idea bothers me, who's to say, "My religion is right and yours is unfortunately wrong, feel free to convert anytime."? Nobody should be able to say this.
Also, the whole attending mass every Sunday idea is something I'm not really on board with. Is it only an hour out of my day? Yes, so it really should be something I can handle. But just because I can handle something doesn't mean I WANT to. Don't get me wrong, I believe in faith AND good works, but I'm a believer that I can achieve both without attending mass. I should be able pray in times of good and times of bad, and help others in times of good and times of bad, and have that count as both. Because I have faith though I don't attend mass, and I love to help people, so I got good works covered too. I just think I'm better suited outside of mass, because when I attend, my mind wanders.
Another thing that eats at me I discovered more recently that even if a Catholic priest resides over your mass, if it does not occur in a Catholic church, it does not count as a marriage in the eyes of the Catholic church. WHAT?! C'mon man. I understand this whole wanting to keep traditional, but that rule should be tweaked. I mean, if the woman I marry is Catholic like me, and she wants a Catholic wedding like I do, then naturally I will conform to this rule and get married in an actual church. But like I said, I personally would be conforming. And it is in that word I think big issue lies. No one should feel like they're having to conform to be close to God, even they are claiming this closeness within the name of a specific denomination. I shouldn't have to follow all your rules to a T, especially when many are man made, to claim God as a Catholic.
So, do I claim to be a Catholic? Yes, I do. Is it partially because it was the only religion I've ever known personally, yes. I'll be honest, though both my parents believed we should be able to choose our own religion, just with Catholicism as the starting foundation, my mom definitely didn't make the at home environment one where being of another religion was acceptable, with her children that is. An example of this is I always joke to her about changing religions and she always replies, "you may do that, but while you're under my roof, you will follow the rules of the catholic church which are my rules as well regardless of what religion you become." She really ties your hands doesn't she. But is it also because I WANT to be Catholic that I claim it. And I don't think I'm saying this due to some unconscious bias caused by my being raised a Catholic. As I've gotten older and learned about new religions, I think personality wise and belief wise, the one that fits me best is Catholicism. But that being said, it doesn't mean I'm going to agree with and/or follow all the rules of Catholics. Because I'm not gonna be a conformist. I'd rather be a REAL Catholic doing what I believe to be my best for me and others, than a FAKE Catholic who follows every rule even if they don't believe in it just to get to heaven.
In conclusion, let me first reiterate, I'm not trying to bad mouth the Catholic church or any of its participants, because I consider myself one. I'm not saying those who follow every rule to the religion are fake or bad if they truly believe in it all, I'm just saying I don't consider me a bad one either just because I disagree with some issues as well and butt heads with the church a little and never plan on "coming around". But I also don't think those who are very devout and follow everything to a T because they believe in it all, should be able to say I'm bad either. Ultimately this blog post is to just say where I stand within my religion and that not even my religion is going to stop me from being an individual within the walls of my religion. If you agree with that concept but with different rules and aspects or even a different religion, cool. Glad I could let you know you're not alone. But if you disagree, cool too. Sorry we can't see eye to eye, but be you bro. That's just fine. I'm just saying don't get mad me for being me when I'm not gonna get mad at your for being you.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Behind the Bow Tie...LITERALLY
Hey everybody, sorry it's been a while since I've posted a blog. I got so wrapped up in midterms and midterm break, I haven't had time to sit down and put pen to paper, metaphorically. So since I'm coming back from a brief hiatus, I figured today's blog would be something light-hearted and fun. Today's blog is going to be a very slight autobiography and a moment to pay homage to some awesome people in my life, my sisters. All stinkin' three of them. (I say that with love :) ) (Sorry Maura, technically you don't make the cut, but I still love you too) Now let us travel a few years back and take a look into how I became BowTieChris.
It was the '00's. '08 to be exact. Times were changing, schools were becoming more technological, the White House was months away from becoming more diverse, and Michael Phelps was proving potheads though successful are still douche bags. (CHILL! That last one was joke, though HE IS a douche) I was entering high school. A scrawny white kid measuring in at 5'4" and weighing in at 135 lbs. and not much of a fashion sense. All I could really articulate was that I loved the classy look but had no qualms with the grungy look, which is what I rocked. But I attended a private Catholic high school, which is when opportunity knocked and I, at first, half-heartedly answered. We had the option of wearing either a button up with a tie or a polo both paired with a pair of khakis. So being a fan of the classy look, I did what I could by being the guy who wore his oxford (another term for a button up) and a tie close to everyday from freshman year to senior year. Something that wasn't really common. The only time anyone else was really seen wearing the button up shirt was on days that there was a school wide Mass.
Even though I was rocking this classy look at school, outside of school I was still rocking the grungy look, whether it was just minutes after school or on the weekends. Part of which because, as previously stated, I had no qualms with the grungy look, and also, because I didn't really have the wardrobe to be classier looking more often. Well eventually that changed. My sisters, mostly the eldest one, hated how dressed. Especially when it was when they had to be seen in public. So as time went on though my earlier years of high school my sisters banded together and bought me a new wardrobe, you could have called it "The Starter Wardrobe for the Classy/Preppy Man".
Now, I had the clothes to start looking classy more frequently. Basically, my sisters had provided me with the materials needed, but it was up to me to create the final product. It's not like I was going to put up a fight though, also as I previously stated, I loved the classy look too, and I was rocking that one at least everyday that I was at school. So, I started to wear these new closes. Not all day, every day, but I was incorporating them into my look more times then not. But I wasn't really doing the tie look, bow or straight, outside of school. This is when the story gets really good!
It was junior year, and I along with a few other students were being honored at a school wide assembly. Well I wanted to look good but I didn't really know how to take my look to another level. I thought my style had "peaked" if you will. Well, a few days before this assembly, some friends and I went to a local thrift store just for fun; to kill some time on a half a day. And that's when I saw it, A BOW TIE! It was hanging with a tuxedo on a shelf but did have an individual price tag that said $1. I was intrigued so I bought it. Fun fact: this bow tie, my first bow tie, was in fact a clip-on, or as we in the bow tie biz will say "pre-tied". The day of the assembly came; I woke up, got showed and cleaned, then put on my clothes, and finally I grabbed my new bow tie and I put it on. The minute I clipped it and folded down the collar and shot myself a glance in the mirror, I just got this feeling go through me, a feeling that said, "Oh yeah, this, this right here, this is right."
After that day I was hooked on the bow tie look. I was asking my mom where we could get me more, but REAL ones, and could we do it ASAP. She informed me that my Aunt had some of my Great-Grandfathers bow ties from the 1920's. So I begged her to take me to my Aunt's house after school like the next day, and she conceded. When we got there my Aunt informed me that she did in fact have them, she just was not sure where in the house she had put them. I felt slightly discouraged upon hearing this news, but after very little time of looking, we found them. I was stoked! My great-grandfather's collection was and still is so gnarly! There was probably 20 or so and I took ten to start me off in building my collection.
The next day I went into school and spent my entire first period (don't worry, it was a study hall) in the principles office learning how to tie a bow tie. He didn't know unfortunately, but we worked together to figure it out. That was so boss of him! He just stopped everything he was doing and spent like an hour or so helping me learn to tie a bow tie. Finally we figured it out. The wheels were set in motion. In the moment, BowTieChris was born.
Since that day, I have worn a bow tie basically everyday for the past four years, no matter what I am doing or what the occasion. I don't plan on stopping any time soon, either. And it's been pretty easy because I have received a lot of mental support for my style from others over the past few years. I've also received a fair amount of physical support from friends and family (specifically my sisters) in the form of them continuing to buy me classier/preppier clothes and bow ties. My school also got a new president my Senior year of high school who wears bow ties everyday that he has to look professional, at least. He takes the weekends off, which is allowed. But he's been wearing bow ties for years and hasn't worn a straight tie in 10 years. I'm trying to catch up to him. He's been a pretty big inspiration; he even gave me two of his bow ties for Christmas. I was honored.
Four years later, following the chain of events that occurred my Junior year of high school, I now have 35 bow ties and will have 37 by the end of the year. My collection is ever growing as is my wardrobe of "loud" attire. I owe a lot of thanks to my sister, so to them: THANK YOU! AND I LOVE ALL THREE OF YOU! I don't plan on stopping my look anytime soon. I'm confident in my look and I'm confident it's going to be my look for a long time. I am BowTieChris. And this is Behind the Bow Tie...LITERALLY!
It was the '00's. '08 to be exact. Times were changing, schools were becoming more technological, the White House was months away from becoming more diverse, and Michael Phelps was proving potheads though successful are still douche bags. (CHILL! That last one was joke, though HE IS a douche) I was entering high school. A scrawny white kid measuring in at 5'4" and weighing in at 135 lbs. and not much of a fashion sense. All I could really articulate was that I loved the classy look but had no qualms with the grungy look, which is what I rocked. But I attended a private Catholic high school, which is when opportunity knocked and I, at first, half-heartedly answered. We had the option of wearing either a button up with a tie or a polo both paired with a pair of khakis. So being a fan of the classy look, I did what I could by being the guy who wore his oxford (another term for a button up) and a tie close to everyday from freshman year to senior year. Something that wasn't really common. The only time anyone else was really seen wearing the button up shirt was on days that there was a school wide Mass.
Even though I was rocking this classy look at school, outside of school I was still rocking the grungy look, whether it was just minutes after school or on the weekends. Part of which because, as previously stated, I had no qualms with the grungy look, and also, because I didn't really have the wardrobe to be classier looking more often. Well eventually that changed. My sisters, mostly the eldest one, hated how dressed. Especially when it was when they had to be seen in public. So as time went on though my earlier years of high school my sisters banded together and bought me a new wardrobe, you could have called it "The Starter Wardrobe for the Classy/Preppy Man".
Now, I had the clothes to start looking classy more frequently. Basically, my sisters had provided me with the materials needed, but it was up to me to create the final product. It's not like I was going to put up a fight though, also as I previously stated, I loved the classy look too, and I was rocking that one at least everyday that I was at school. So, I started to wear these new closes. Not all day, every day, but I was incorporating them into my look more times then not. But I wasn't really doing the tie look, bow or straight, outside of school. This is when the story gets really good!
It was junior year, and I along with a few other students were being honored at a school wide assembly. Well I wanted to look good but I didn't really know how to take my look to another level. I thought my style had "peaked" if you will. Well, a few days before this assembly, some friends and I went to a local thrift store just for fun; to kill some time on a half a day. And that's when I saw it, A BOW TIE! It was hanging with a tuxedo on a shelf but did have an individual price tag that said $1. I was intrigued so I bought it. Fun fact: this bow tie, my first bow tie, was in fact a clip-on, or as we in the bow tie biz will say "pre-tied". The day of the assembly came; I woke up, got showed and cleaned, then put on my clothes, and finally I grabbed my new bow tie and I put it on. The minute I clipped it and folded down the collar and shot myself a glance in the mirror, I just got this feeling go through me, a feeling that said, "Oh yeah, this, this right here, this is right."
After that day I was hooked on the bow tie look. I was asking my mom where we could get me more, but REAL ones, and could we do it ASAP. She informed me that my Aunt had some of my Great-Grandfathers bow ties from the 1920's. So I begged her to take me to my Aunt's house after school like the next day, and she conceded. When we got there my Aunt informed me that she did in fact have them, she just was not sure where in the house she had put them. I felt slightly discouraged upon hearing this news, but after very little time of looking, we found them. I was stoked! My great-grandfather's collection was and still is so gnarly! There was probably 20 or so and I took ten to start me off in building my collection.
The next day I went into school and spent my entire first period (don't worry, it was a study hall) in the principles office learning how to tie a bow tie. He didn't know unfortunately, but we worked together to figure it out. That was so boss of him! He just stopped everything he was doing and spent like an hour or so helping me learn to tie a bow tie. Finally we figured it out. The wheels were set in motion. In the moment, BowTieChris was born.
Since that day, I have worn a bow tie basically everyday for the past four years, no matter what I am doing or what the occasion. I don't plan on stopping any time soon, either. And it's been pretty easy because I have received a lot of mental support for my style from others over the past few years. I've also received a fair amount of physical support from friends and family (specifically my sisters) in the form of them continuing to buy me classier/preppier clothes and bow ties. My school also got a new president my Senior year of high school who wears bow ties everyday that he has to look professional, at least. He takes the weekends off, which is allowed. But he's been wearing bow ties for years and hasn't worn a straight tie in 10 years. I'm trying to catch up to him. He's been a pretty big inspiration; he even gave me two of his bow ties for Christmas. I was honored.
Four years later, following the chain of events that occurred my Junior year of high school, I now have 35 bow ties and will have 37 by the end of the year. My collection is ever growing as is my wardrobe of "loud" attire. I owe a lot of thanks to my sister, so to them: THANK YOU! AND I LOVE ALL THREE OF YOU! I don't plan on stopping my look anytime soon. I'm confident in my look and I'm confident it's going to be my look for a long time. I am BowTieChris. And this is Behind the Bow Tie...LITERALLY!
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