I won't deny my vanity, though I think I try to cover it up with no degree of success. I work at Wal-Mart, as a customer servicer nowadays, and sometimes it gets really boring. Sometimes when this happens, I grab a magazine to read. Once I read a magazine specifically for the reason that Hugh Jackman was in it, and I was getting really excited for the upcoming Wolverine film. In the magazine, he was asked about his perspective on homosexuality, because apparently he has played roles in theatre where his character was gay. He said this:
"Homosexuality is only a part of the whole. I like to think that sexuality doesn't determine the entire person."
Ok, that isn't a direct quote. Don't go searching for it - you won't find it. But it was similar to that. And I loved it. I probably wrote it down and lost the piece of paper at some point.
I like the idea that this blog can act in some format as a venting piece for my interactions with my emerging homosexual existence. I want it to exhibit the dialogue that I need to start having with the world around me. But, as per Hugh Jackman, I need to include other parts of my dialogue with the world.
Thus, this post, where I begin to share some of my concerns with the world, responding to events. Maybe you'll get a better sense of the whole of me. I am more than just gay.
I was at a friends wedding last weekend - a wonderous event, as weddings always are. This friend is an inspiration amongst men; an intelligent man, who is passionate about God and God's people. He is also a communist. I cheer for him.
And he hasn't walked into a Wal-Mart in 3 years.
I work at Wal-Mart, as a customer service desk employee. And I am well aware of why this man refuses to shop at Wal-Mart. They treat employees poorly, choosing to understaff stores and giving people insufficient hours or wages to allow for a living. They don't treat customers well, because there is not enough staff to care for their needs. They don't have expectations for how the employees of their producers are treated. They encourage people to spend beyond their means by making purchasing easy. They have poor environmental policy. They direct enormous volumes of money from the communities where money is earned to a head-quarters and into a corporate bank account. Money leaves communities because of Wal-Mart.
I don't like Wal-Mart. I enjoy my job though. And I enjoy the people that I work with; they are good people, with great humour, great hearts, and great intentions that just have the unfortunate experience of working at Wal-Mart.
And so I have plans to never shop at Wal-Mart again. Which is hard, because I tend to buy a lot. I am a Wal-Mart consumer - impulsive, dangerous, unconcerned with my bank account or how my purchases are affecting people around the world.
So I am going to start a system, online, with this blog, displaying my non-Wal-Mart purchases.
Canadian Tire. 2 Items
- A Key cut. $2.99
- A Hidden key kit. $2.99
- Taxation. $.060
Total not given to Wal-Mart: $6.58
I'm looking forward to living out my morals rather than merely discussing them.
