Five weeks into my new college life. Five weeks in to really having to change my view on the world, and five weeks in having to reevaluate my fellow college friends too. My family are very religious, and I always thought I was a letdown to them as I never considered myself as religious as them. But now I think they would be proud of me now.
Every morning and every night I pray at my bed. I read religious books, but not the bible. I have never found the bible easy reading, but I never tell my dad that. I read religious articles on line and back at home I would send my Facebook friends lots of religious messages. They would always send something similar back, and therefore I would think this is just the norm. I would consider that everybody was the same. Well they were the same in my little home town.
But here in the big city I am struggling to come to terms with it all. I have found that the vast, vast majority of my fellow students have no god or religion in their lives at all. They never seem to pray, they never talk about a god or anything related to religion being a way of life. Do not get me wrong, I am not judging them or even saying that there is any badness in them at all. I am merely shocked in the different lifestyles we have.
My roommate John is a great guy. I really like him. He is fun and I think he is going to be a great friend to me, but he does not believe in God at all. He asked me the first few times about my praying, and asked if I really believed that anyone or anything existed. Of course I do I told him. We did have a few hours of conversations about why God is real, and from his point of view why he is not.
The amazing thing is that I really like John. Since that discussion he never mentions God or my praying. If I am praying he will turn the TV down, or excuse himself for a few minutes, which of course he does not have to do at all. But I know that is his way of showing respect. Bless him.
I think the biggest learning cure I have so far at college is that the good people are good, even if they do or do not believe in God. Of course I cannot understand that they do not believe, but I have found no one like me at all who shares my beliefs. Everybody is respectful. I am making great friends, but I do wish I had found another who I could sit down and talk to about my beliefs, and someone who shares them.
Well I suppose I will have to get used to just sharing course work and essay editing. But I really am not sure hours spent on essay editing in any way makes up for the times I am not reading my religious books. Either way, I can actually say I am liking my new experience of life. Very much
Simon Law is still impressed by his non believer friends.
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