YES! Yes. I wish MPPC could have read this years ago when I refused to go to Mexicali. I would get bombarded by the one question "Why on earth would you not want to do something like this?" and I didn't have enough balls to say "because I don't really agree with the underlying focus of this trip. I'd rather go with a bunch of athiests and help build better functioning plumbing and sewage, than go grit my teeth and lie to a bunch of adults about my religious beliefs thank you very much."
the worst are the suit-clad, freshly-high school-diploma-ed missionaries who hang around at the university here in cologne, the gay capital of europe, approaching students in english in the country with the third largest economy in the world, where unemployed people get 800 euros a month in welfare and access to super-low-cost housing, where no one is desperately poor, where there is zero need for foreign aid, where contempt for america and americans runs high and the missionaries are part of the reason, and where the largely atheist, mostly non-religious, fully jaded population as well as the government consider mormons, 7th-day adventists and scientologists to be cult members. the EU is doing a fine job of redistributing wealth, thank you. if you insist on doing missions, go build a library, dig a well, and teach english to the youth of a country that's actually in need; there are plenty of those in the world. or better yet fucking stay home.
It occurred to me a while ago, at a friend's party, how much I can't stand those people. It's not even the religious part, though it's definitely conducive to the attitude, as the cultural or class side of it, really. I would talk to these people, who were sort of in the center of things, that would casually and "modestly" relate things they talk about to some thing that they did in some corps or charity work or other selfless work program, in a way that vaguely makes you feel both less morally and societally successful as they are
( ... )
It reminds me of fighters vs. martial artists. You know the guys who are always talking about their fights, or medals, or toughness are no where near as admirable (or terrifying) as those who remain quiet, and modest.
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I wish MPPC could have read this years ago when I refused to go to Mexicali. I would get bombarded by the one question "Why on earth would you not want to do something like this?" and I didn't have enough balls to say "because I don't really agree with the underlying focus of this trip. I'd rather go with a bunch of athiests and help build better functioning plumbing and sewage, than go grit my teeth and lie to a bunch of adults about my religious beliefs thank you very much."
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well, accept for me. I'm so good at everything. Oh, wait. damn.
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