This morning I was in a bit of a melancholy mood... I don't remember what made me think of this, but I was remembering when a sophomore girl in high school came up to me and asked, "why do Hindus believe women don't have souls?" I was shocked and not a little offended - immediately I asked her where she got that idea. The answer: her World Literature teacher.

I went up to the teacher in question and asked about the source of this "fact." Off the top of my head I could come up with two to three examples of Hindu mythology* that refuted her statement. I had barely gotten through telling her about Draupadi, who took the five heroic Pandavas as her husbands because of her virtuous past life, when she made some excuse and fled. She never gave me an explanation, and I never found out if she issued a retraction to her class.

What bugged me more than anything else is that both these women (the sophomore and the teacher) were, in their ignorance, looking down on me. I won't try to claim Indians in general and Hindus in particular haven't treated women shamefully, often in the name of god. But to say that my religion disenfranchises half it's followers at such a fundamental level? Who would follow a religion like that? Oh, but I forgot - Indian women have no choice in the matter. We're not agents in the universe, only passive subjects. To borrow an expression... Jesus Christ.

This is why I don't understand why people want religion (e.g. Creationism) taught in schools. Ignore for a moment that the separation of Church and State is an essential part of the Founding Father's vision for America. There's a reason K-12 teachers became teachers, instead of members of the clergy or theology scholars. They simply don't have the expertise or inclination to teach religion.

/rant

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*Yes, I refer to my own religious doctrine as "mythology." Mostly to remind myself that religion is a creation of people. And because you can't become in-mythology-nated.

Just in case you trust me implicitly

... yesterday's post was an April Fools' joke. Nothing near as good as the amazing trick I played on my friend Matt when we were in college. It had just gone midnight on April 1st, and he was talking rapturously about the girl he liked, a mutual friend. When he got to a stopping place and looked over at me with those big puppy-dog eyes, I grimaced and shook my head. I then proceeded to tell him that I knew for a fact that the lady in question was aware of his feelings but did not share them. He was CRUSHED. After allowing him two or three minutes to panic, I smiled broadly and said "April Fool's!" He laughed in relief - I cackled in evil glee. Then he looked at me and said, "But she does like me ... right?" Long story short - they're married now.

The first part of yesterday's post, however, was true. I haven't been posting lately due to being busy and stressed. Well ... mostly due to that. It's also due to the fact that I'm a big ol' hypocrite. I started a Twitter account. I know, I know. I've railed against microblogging on numerous occasions, both online and off. But it's for networking and other career-related thingamabobs ... don't judge me. Also, don't Follow me. Unless you care about genetics and health care (which you should!).

Have you heard...

Sorry for not blogging in so long! As you know, I've been going through some tough times lately. I really needed to take a step back and re-evaluate my life. But something wonderful emerged from this time of turmoil ... I discovered The Secret.

This book changed my life. It revealed to me the true power of positive thought - and the true consequences of negative thoughts. I realized that by thinking about all my problems, I was attracting negative energy towards myself. Every roadblock in my way, every disappointment I faced, every difficulty real or imagined, were all down to me worrying about my life. Now, with the power of The Secret on my side, I feel like I can demand anything from the Universe - anything at all! - and my demand will be instantaneously fulfilled.

But it's hard work to send out positive energy all day long. That's why I decided to hire a Secret Life Coach. Sure, the sessions are expensive - but wouldn't you be willing to pay $50 an hour to get everything you ever wanted? It's a bargain at twice the price. My SLC, Lindsay, is certified in clinically proven methods invented by Rhonda Byrne herself - it says so right on her business cards!

The thing is, Lindsay tells me that The Secret is much more effective if you can share its beneficial effects with three to five friends. A small group can concentrate their energies and get better results from the Universe than a single person ever could alone. Lindsay's even willing to offer a special, introductory rate to all my friends and family - just $39.99 a session! You really can't afford to miss out on this deal ... click here for more information.