Tracy 1!

Emily Tracy
Marlowe
Expository P6
4 October 2015
Adam and Eve Not Adam and Steve
The common dictionary would describe an activist as a person who campaigns for some
kind of social change. The common dictionary would describe feminism as the advocacy of
women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. The common
dictionary would describe the word free as not under the control or in the power of another. I on
the other hand would use these words to describe my own spirit.
Since I was young, beliefs were never pushed onto me but were still very prominent in
my family. I was never forced to go to church. I was never told what kids to spend time with. I
was never led to believe in anything except for myself.
This, however, did not stop me from becoming a replica of my parents. As I grew up
began to see the world as they do. If I was to define my political stance I would say Im fiscally
conservative but socially liberal. If you asked my parents they would say the same thing.
My parents grew up in poor neighborhoods with great diversity in friends. This followed
them to their adulthood and they have raised me and my siblings to accept everyone with love
regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
Although I have always been accepted by my parents I have constantly faced ridicule
from friends, family, fellow students, teachers, and even strangers for my views. Between class
discussions and Facebook rants my current stance on issues is quite the controversy. My neo-nazi

Tracy 2!
Christian relatives bombard me with comments on the articles I share to Facebook. Students
believe everything they see on Twitter so they challenge everything I say in a socratic discussion.
I was particularly affected by this my sophomore year of high school.
I had become best friends with a devote Christian. Being at her house was like being in a
movie. We said grace before dinner. We went to church twice a week. We couldn't stay up late.
We couldnt wear shorts around her little brother. We couldnt live like normal human beings. It
was bizarre and I don't know why I never saw the extreme lengths they went to in order to push
their ways onto me.
Eventually we began to grow apart and I branched out to other seedlings. However, she
saw this branching as me growing into the tree of knowledge. Every friendship I made was like
another bite of forbidden fruit. I was no Eve and there was no Adam to be found. Being a child of
God didn't mean that we needed to live in biblical times. A free spirit cant be controlled by the
monotony of ten rules setting a cemented routine of rights and wrongs. Ethics vary by your own
individual interpretation. The way I interpreted the Bible was not the same as anyone else.
Eventually my rebellion against the Church lead to a text message that completely
changed my outlook on life. Apparently I wasn't on the right path to God. In her eyes I was
challenging His tolerance. In my eyes I was a teenage girl making friends and doing more than
studying the Bible every night. There were harsh words exchanged between the two of us but
eventually I realized that she could never understand someone else living differently than herself.
I was so used to accepting people that I never imagine someone blatantly unaccepting of my
lifestyle.

Tracy 3!
Since then I have changed so much and would never take any of it back. Confrontations
like that are what have shaped my own beliefs. When I challenge a teachers misogynistic
comment it does nothing but anchor my spirit to what I value. When I post a picture at a Free the
Nipple protest on social media the comments do nothing raise me higher. When someone
disagrees with me in a socratic discussion I listen because I am completely open to other peoples
interpretation of the world. I dont need a religion to define me. I believe in myself. I believe in
infinite the things I am capable of.
I have always made it my lifes mission to live free with an open heart. I have seen the
way people are affected when they arent accepted by friend or family simply because they do
not have the same beliefs. I have seen the hurt controversy causes. Planned Parenthood centers
are victims of mass shootings. Mosques are attacked. Countries are invaded. Challenging a belief
has made me who I am today but who I am today is someone that will accept everyone
regardless of our conflicting beliefs.

Word Count: 7 9 1