Cathartic Writing

I've decided if I'm going to advocate for social justice, I need to start taking an active stand. The first step I've taken is to stop ignoring hateful Facebook posts. The first thing I've done is respond to a friend I've known for 22 years. He posted a blog stating that the fact NBA player Jason Collins came out is a bad thing because it glorifies sin. In response, I wrote:

I normally don't respond to posts like this because I find it results in pointless deliberation. However, because I respect you and we've known each other for the majority of my life, I feel it necessary to let you know how misguided this article is. I'll be the first to admit I am no longer religious, but I spent a considerable amount of time reading the New Testament. My sense of morality is based on the teachings of Christ. What I found to be most powerful about Jesus was his acceptance of those society considered to be sinners and worthless. Christ never explicitly mentioned that homosexuality was wrong. If being a Christian means following the Old and New Testament word-for-word and not picking and choosing, Christians should not get tattoos (Lev. 19:28) eat shellfish (Lev. 11:10) or read their horoscopes (Lev. 19:31). I'm not going to unfriend you, but if this is a deal-breaker, feel free to do so to me.

I'm not sure if this will make a difference, but I feel as though I should start becoming a coalition builder instead of a silent bystander.

This is causing a great deal of anxiety for me now. I keep waiting for people to respond and tell me how awful I am or something. Or that he will unfriend me. It would be fine if he did, but I have systematically gone through and unfriended so many people I disagree with that I no longer hear dissenting voices. I think it's important to make sure I'm not insulated from alternative viewpoints.

I'm not really sure what else to write now. I'm struggling with a theoretical concept in class. I'm also unsure what to do with my life. I know I want to get my PhD eventually, but I need to take a year or two off to get my depression under control. I have so many ideas and interest areas and I can't make up my mind. My prof said if I want to be in scholarly conversations, the max theoretical area would be six. I know I want to focus on racism and fat studies. Social justice issues are important and I want to actively make a difference for people. I'm not sure if I can do this while in academia or if I should just work for a non-profit.