I think I was raised in a different way from most people in America.
When I was a kid we never talked about religion or politics in our house.
We went to church once in a while, but never with any regularity. And I have no idea how my parents voted, or even if they did.
A lot of the people I know weren’t raised that way at all. In a lot of cases people are raised with two religious faiths. Faith in God and faith in political party. In many families these things are talked about every day. Sometimes I actually wonder which is more important to people.
I don’t want to denigrate anyone for raising their kids the way they want to. I think we’re all trying our best.
But I can say I’m glad my parents raised me that way. I think it really helped me see the world in a unique way.
I don’t know if they did it on purpose. I don’t know if they didn’t care much about religion or politics and so it just never came up. I don’t know if they were waiting until I was old enough to talk about those things.
I don’t know if it’s related to the fact that by the time I was old enough to vote in a Presidential election they were dead. Maybe they would have suggested I vote a certain way in the 2000 election. I’ll never know.
I could find out, of course. I could ask my brother who is eight years older than me. Or I have relatives I could ask. But I like not knowing. I don’t sit around wondering, “how did my parents vote?” I just sit around thinking, “I’m glad they never told me.”
Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only person who grew up this way. I do think it’s rare. Tell me your story in the comments.
Meditation with Daniel 