A few weeks ago, I started a post and I trashed it. I couldn’t figure out where my head was going. I have an enormous problem with the professionally pious.

The professionally pious are really just other versions of bullies. And yes, they do exist within the framework of church communities on multiple religions.

I have noticed this recently at a very Main Line church, and so have a lot of other people. You would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind, not to notice. There is no reason to name the church, again so not a secret. Some professionally pious church folks over there have been no better behaved than cock fighting roosters. They are on a group think quest and it’s their way or the highway. Doesn’t matter what Jesus would do, either.

They peck at everyone who is not a carbon copy of them, and heaven forbid that their targets actually be happy people. They can’t have happy people they need to be in control of. They are gossipy, bigoted, prejudiced, insecure, mostly women. God don’t like ugly and Karma is a bitch.

They have an opportunity to right their wrongs. Or they can hang out like Napoleon at Waterloo, and history has shown us how that all worked out.

These people are but yet another example of the way people in general have been behaving since before, during, and after COVID. It’s like the wheels have come off the bus of common decency. People just feel free to be meaner than a basket of rattle snakes.

I experience the attention of women who can’t seem to understand that not everyone wants to be like them. I also don’t think like them. I speak my truth and my truth infuriates them because I don’t wish to belong to a twisted sisterhood. But they don’t want their group think or for them to be ignored.

And with me, it can be politics that somebody doesn’t like me writing about, or just about anything. It is fascinating to me that I am just one person, writing a blog, not some Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, etc. reporter. Matter of fact, these people should love the Washington Post now they aren’t allowed to write how they feel about the election because of someone who shouldn’t have influence like that.

And it’s so amazing to me that all of these people who are so perfectly professionally pious are also so mean.

And as always, these are mostly women doing these things. I mean, there are plenty of vulgar obnoxious men who you see come across social media venting their spleen or being sloppy at social events, but I found the majority of them in certain situations are women.

I’m really not sure that Jesus loves them because I don’t think there’s room for Jesus and their narcissistic worldview.

And then there are the people that really aren’t so bad who have gotten so twisted up since 2016 when they followed a big orange charlatan down a twisted rabbit hole.

There are some people that I did not separate myself from, they chose to just stop talking to me because whenever they spoke politics, my responses were different than what they wanted or maybe expected. That made me sad. I thought of one person today who I actually miss but I can’t help them if they’re disappointed that I don’t believe what they believe. But they have to follow their own path here.

There are plenty of people who are polar opposite of what I am thinking about politics and the election and we always speak to one and other. Even family members and we don’t agree, but we all have conversations and still see each other and still love each other and still care about each other.

I don’t really understand it all. I guess some of it is merely human nature, but sociologically I am fascinated with just the way people have changed in about the last 10 years. People I used to think we’re really nice are so different. It’s like they are brainwashed.

Now I completely understand that some people could say I was different, but am I really? I always split my ticket and I think the last time I voted a straight Republican ticket was 2000. I split my ticket pretty consistently from that point forward. I started looking at individual candidates as who they were, and what they had done, and what they wanted to do, not the political parties attached. It’s the people not the party.

I’m still looking at the individual candidates. The problem is I can’t really find any good Republicans to vote for except for the occasional judge.

So that’s the most simplistic way I know how to answer how my political philosophy has changed.

Lately, I have been astounded by the behavior of people in my old Township of Lower Merion, and again especially the women. With them, it’s not just Trump versus Kamala, it’s the whole circus of Israel vs. Gaza.

The whole Israel versus Gaza not just here, but everywhere has caused educators to leave all levels of education because they’re tired of being inundated by people about how they have to take a side when after core they are teachers, educators, NOT politicians. Harvard University’s statement on this became quite clear in May when they said that they would no longer be speaking out on political or social issues that don’t impact the institution’s “core function.”

Gosh, I wish that could be universally adopted in the Philadelphia area especially in the Lower Merion section of the Main Line. And one of the things they are still so upset about is the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. There was whatever happened a few months ago where they had to cancel a film. So then everyone is all upset because the film was Israeli apparently. These women are like attack people constantly in social media groups, and are circulating petitions to shut down a nonprofit.

If you try to question them on any of this, because I think targeting a wonderful nonprofit, like Bryn Mawr film Institute is just nuts, you’re a bad person and you’re anti-Jewish or anti-Israel I forget which. Essentially you agree with them or you’re bad.

The truth is many feel that both sides of the Mideast conflict are wrong and they don’t want to take sides. In the vein of this issue they have systematically tried to destroy a black Lower Merion School Board member for asking questions and according to those I know taking everything that comes out of that poor woman’s mouth out of context.

And then some of these women have literally called other Jewish women I know bad Jews because they don’t believe everything they believe including their adoration of a big bloviating old man who likes McDonald’s.

It’s like everyone has lost their collective minds. They’re supposed to belong to a community, yet they have forgotten that in their quest for their group think.

And then there are the commissioners in Radnor Township poised to take land from a church via eminent domain this very evening and how is that normal or good?

So is it this really weird groupthink thing that seems to be infecting every corner of this country not just on this issue and topic? No longer is individualism appreciated or acknowledged. It’s like if you can’t comply to whatever they have decided, the standard should be, you should be at a minimum verbally beaten to a pulp.

And I still think at the end of the day, what bothers me the most are the fake pious. They want to tell you what good people they are but then they always want to tell people how horrible anyone is who doesn’t buy into what they are selling.

No matter what our religion is or what our religious beliefs are, we are a country founded as a nation of immigrants. We come in all shapes and sizes and faiths and and colors and beliefs. Yet here we are on the precipice of becoming what our forefathers fought bled and died to stop almost 250 years ago?

How did we get here?

And isn’t it sad?

Mind you I’m saying this is someone who has never ever pretended to be perfect or without flaws.

But we have to stop. This country is becoming so unstable and ugly.

I am sure there are those who are not going to like this post or any of these opinions. I get that. But we need to get out of group think brainwashing and back to being communities.

We’re not all supposed to be the same and that’s ok.