The Intolerance of 'Tolerance'

I've just recently joined a local gym here in town. For years now i've been wanting to be able to get back into shape. I mean, granted, i'm 24 years old and can readily do a lot of things. Your average person would probably look at me and say "your in great shape... why do you need to get in shape?!?" which to a degree, they have some legitamacy in saying that. I'm currently about 145 lbs or so and can easily walk 2 miles w/o any problems. But getting older means my metabolism quickly shuts down or will really get low soon. So i figured that since my current job is 98% mental, its time i also work my physical body. Because since i moved down in 2003, its been primarily sit there in class and just think. Wal-Mart was nice in that i got to get some good heavy lifting in... but nothing really systematic.

So, i joined a gym here because i now have more time and thankfully, a bit better of a cash flow. So, i had a meeting with a pro trainer here (i'm sure by now your like 'what does joining a gym have to do w/ intolerance...?' stick w/ me here, its coming). So after my workout with the guy, they took me into the office to try and work out some sort of regular workout plan w/ them. I eventually took a plan where i'm paying around $75 dollars for 6 sessions w/ a professional trainer for 6 months. The guys like "oh, you must be really religious." i'm like 'wow, thats a broad judgement."

If you mean i care about widows and orphans... then yeah. i'd rather fly halfway around the world and minister to someone than fork out $75 for a sweatshirt. i guess i am really religious then.

So anyways, i'm sitting there in the office and the guy is making small talk and asking me what i do in my spare time... well, right now.. a part of my 'spare time' will be spent at the gym. but this guy figured me for a gamer. meaning someone who would play video games on his computer or tv. Like XBox 360 or a station like that. I am not. Probably in the past 3 years, i've played no more than 3 hours on any kind of gaming system. That is no lie. I like to play racing games. but i just don't have the time nor desire to do stuff like that. I told him i like to travel. He asked wheres the farthest i've been. I said probably the Philippines. His next statement to me what "so, what are the girls like over there...". i just kept my composure but secretly thinking "wow, we've got quite some generalizations going on here. Girls aren't the only 'thing' (i hate to use that b/c it sounds really cheap.. forgive me ladies) out in the world. Yes, i pray often for my future wife, whomever she may be, but i didn't go to the Philippines for the girls. yeah, there were girls there. but whats with the generalization.

Now i want to be careful b/c i don't want people who are reading this to feel akward in asking me about girls. but to me, the statement is a judgement. and i'm under the impression that we 'shouldn't judge' people. or are we?

it just seems to be that others can say anything they want to about bashing someone that is well known, but as soon as i say anything about the Bible, i will offend someone. That's probably because i will. Because i'll get their conscience going and suddenly, i'm super religious or super spiritual. no, i just like to see God do His thing through me and around me. but i also love a good practical joke. But i try to be careful nowadays in how i present stuff to people. perhaps i shouldn't be. perhaps i should just speak whats on my mind. i mean, if we're a 'tolerant' society, i should be able to say what i wanna say if someone is dropping all sorts of 'f' bombs and whatnot around me. I mean, where's the tolerance folks...? It just seems to me that we can say anything about someone well known (persay President Bush) and its free speech. but if i were to say that a tv personality is going to go to hell because they don't know Jesus, then i'm suddenly intolerant and judgemental.

by the way, the term 'separation of church and state' is nowhere in the constitution. take that ACLU.

well, i feel better.