Daily writing prompt

What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind?

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Honestly, when I got the word “renegade” tattooed on my collarbone, I certainly didn’t feel like I was a renegade in any sense. I just liked the way the word looked in typewriter font.

But now that I’m looking down the barrel of this prompt, it seems that I do house some renegade blood inside of me.

I was raised on a farm, by conservative parents. My entire extended family is conservative and probably most of the community is too. And when I say “conservative” I mean political-wise, but I guess just their values in general too.

So without bringing specific issues into this and risking the loss of subscribers, or at least readers, I’ll just say that I exited stage ‘left’. If you get what I mean.

I no longer share any political beliefs with my parents. We’re just too far apart. I try not to bring politics up when I’m there or even on the phone.

Most definitely it’s been living in the north that has changed my viewpoint. There are big time social issues up here and the answers are not cut and dry, black and white. Which was the world I grew up in. I now have a heart for people, I can empathize with them and see that change is a process, sometimes life long. And I believe support should be provided.

My problem now, is respecting those opinions and beliefs (and the people who carry them), from which I left behind, turned my back on, renegaded. It just gets me so fueled up. These kinds of things never used to bother me, opposing political views and such. But the older I get, the more passionate I feel about it.

I couldn’t sleep a couple of nights ago after my niece sent me some screenshots of a FB group from my hometown. It seems one municipality passed a law stating anyone practicing or assisting with harm reduction ie. passing out clean needles to users, would be fined one thousand dollars. Imagine, not only do they not want to help people, you will be fined if you do help people. My blood boiled.

But I had to let it go. I shouldn’t have even brought it up just then. I can feel my heart beating faster.

I did consider getting into politics, running in an election for the Member of Parliament in my area. But I changed my mind when I talked about it to a friend of mine and found out he was actually planning on doing the same, and he did end up elected.