Voting Day

A coworker recently expressed his opinion that celiac is a psychosomatic illness. While he did not say I was crazy, he did say that he thought it was all in my head.  This guy is (otherwise) intelligent, has a graduate degree in-what amounts to-logical thinking and somehow believes that a verified autoimmune disease actually does not exist.  Because he cannot imagine its existence.  It is outside the realm of his experience and ability to empathize.  Essentially, he feels that if I could just stop thinking that I have a deadly reaction to gluten, my life would be a whole lot easier. 

Now, this guy is a nut. And I laughed when I heard about his insane ramblings.  But it stuck with me. And it's got me thinking.  What if other people felt this way? What if a lot of people decided that celiac is a choice--and a bad one? What if it became a religious issue?  (The Christian Bible does talk about wheat an awful lot; it is not impossible that someone could read it literally and decide that a life without wheat was not condoned by God.)  What if people got together and decided that, because celiac was not something they experienced, because the Bible suggests separating the wheat from the chaf, because food issues are an inconvenience, that celiacs could not eliminate gluten from their diet?

Now you think I'm crazy.  But bear with me.  Tomorrow marks a hugely important day in the life of Americans.  It is voting day.  A lot of you out there may be thinking that, since it isn't a presidential election, your vote doesn't matter.  You could not be more wrong.  In almost every state, important decisions are being made about who will be making decisions on your behalf and what you and your friends will be allowed -- or not allowed-- to do.  In Maine, a vote is being held on whether your gay friends (and whether you know it or not, you probably have some) should be allowed to marry.  In Virginia, there are men up for election who condone bigotry, who have publicly decried a woman's role in working society.  If these things outrage you, you should go to the polls.  If they do not outrage you, then I would challenge you to put yourself in the shoes of those you think are more directly effected. Imagine you are a gay person in love or a woman who is just trying to do the right thing for her family. 

The verse by Pastor Martin Niemoller is relevant tomorrow.  We need to stand up for the rights of others, lest there be no one left standing to stand up for us.