I'll do heroin and crack before I join a political party. And I'll drink toilet water before I label myself a "liberal," "moderate" or "conservative."
I tried to join parties, religions and subcultures, but it never worked. My attempts to be a Democrat, Catholic, atheist and punk rocker all failed.
I don't like it when people tell me how to think - regardless of whether I agree with them or not.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals opposes killing animals for food, clothing or scientific research. According to the Frequently Asked Questions portion of PETA's Web site, "Animals should have the right to equal consideration of their interests."
Meanwhile, Minnesota Citizens in Defense of Marriage says that if same-sex marriage is legalized, "Family structures will be permanently weakened as marriage is slowly destroyed, resulting in increased cohabitation and out-of-wedlock birthrates."
That's right: Humans should be herbivores and legal recognition of same-sex relationships threatens civilization.
It doesn't matter that in nature all organisms - even plants - kill others to survive and that humans have eaten meat and hunted animals for food for as long as we've walked on two legs. What's important is that using animals for food, clothing and medical research is wrong because PETA says so.
Likewise, psychological, sociological and anthropological evidence supporting legal recognition of same-sex couples also doesn't matter; same-sex marriage is wrong because it has been declared wrong by fundamentalist religious nuts who stubbornly cling to the 3,000-year-old written customs and values of a misogynistic, slave-owning desert culture.
Both cases, though extreme, show that ignorance occurs on the left and on the right.
Labeling oneself a "liberal," "moderate" or "conservative" and joining a political party or religion inhibits one's critical thinking skills.
Many people vote Republican or Democrat because their parents do, and they support or oppose politicians and candidates based on party affiliation rather than serious, in-depth analysis of issues. Cherished beliefs and politics undermine rationality and reason. We have them not because they make sense, but because they make us happy.
As a child, I truly believed Santa Claus was real. At 16, I believed that punk rock was nonconformist as my friends and I dressed alike and listened to the same music. These beliefs gave me happiness, and abandoning them hurt.
Political parties, religions and ethical lifestyles give our lives meaning. We're often not comfortable thinking for ourselves, so we let pastors, politicos and philosophers interpret reality for us instead of looking at the plain reality with our own eyes.
Ironically, Siddhartha Gautama - the founder of Buddhism - spoke against belief based on popular opinion, hearsay, long-standing tradition, religious orthodoxy or the authority of teachers and elders.
Instead, he argued in favor of belief based on rational observation and analysis and the benefit of all humanity. Jesus, also, was no fan of orthodoxy or organized religion.
Contrasted with spirituality, religion is based on slavish obedience to the teachings of lamas, imams, rabbis, popes and preachers and thoughtless interpretation of religious texts.
Politics is no different.
People should become "one-person think tanks" instead of believing things because, "Well, as a conservative," "You know, as a liberal" or "As a moderate," they feel compelled to believe them.
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