For kids of religious fanatics
in Psychology ·
gentlefalcon said:It’s a rare occurrence, honestly. When I actually do run into someone who's in decent shape, they're usually just plain boring—the type that wouldn't be caught dead stepping foot inside a Gold's Gym. And even if you do stumble upon someone with a bit of muscle, they’re mostly just skinny little things, like they've never seen a barbell in their life, only showing up to grab a drink at a local dive bar after a Saturday night out. 😁
It’s an undeniable reality that once kids get swept up in religious fanaticism, their entire perspective shifts upward toward the heavens. They start looking to God or some higher power to bail them out of everything—whether it's passing a midterm, staying healthy, or just navigating life's hurdles. It becomes this total reliance on divine intervention to solve earthly problems. My mother brings this up all the time, too; she’ll point out how she sees people my age hanging out around the Stone Gates, living their lives and going wherever they want, while I just don't feel that pull. To be honest, I’ve never really had any interest in wandering around Old Town or being part of that scene at all. 🙄
When you find yourself talking to a girl who grew up in that heavy religious bubble—you know, the kind where everything is filtered through a lens of extreme modesty and this hyper-idealized view of existence—it feels like stepping into a completely different dimension. Everything is framed as this beautiful, sacred masterpiece: love, relationships, faith. It’s all so polished and perfect; they talk about how much they adore life and how wonderful everyone around them is. It’s honestly surreal. But then reality hits, and it hits hard. Once they step out from under that protective canopy and face the actual world, they get absolutely blindsided by the grit of real life. They haven't developed the survival instincts needed to navigate things on their own. Because of that vulnerability, they often end up falling right into the traps set by people just like them, or worse, they attract those "players" who look for someone exactly like that—someone they can treat like a saint behind closed doors while they live out their real, messy lives with other women on the side. It's a predictable cycle.
Everyone seems to be obsessed with nothing but schoolwork and getting through college. Sure, there’s value in having a solid moral compass and looking out for what’s right, but we need to face reality here. If you hit your thirties without ever actually experiencing intimacy or even a single meaningful relationship, you aren't just "focused"—you're heading toward a psychological breakdown. It feels like this generation is perpetually terrified of everything. They shy away from challenges, too scared to even sit for an exam if they haven't spent the last six months buried in textbooks. Their entire concept of what "fun" looks like is completely warped; instead of actually living, they just sit around watching soap operas. It’s a distorted view of love and life. Honestly, they’re just living in a total fantasy land.
I suppose I could find a way to tolerate them if they were at least halfway decent—you know, attractive, sharp, well-educated, and actually comfortable in their own skin. Honestly, I wouldn't even mind if they were some kind of religious fanatic, as long as they didn't drag me into their personal crusades. 😁
I always find myself telling my mom something along these lines: "Look, if things are actually that wonderful where you are, why aren't you just sitting there soaking it all in by yourself? What am I supposed to do about it? And honestly, if life is truly as great as you claim it is, you’d be acting a whole lot more cheerful than you are right now." 😁"
It’s been about five or six years now, and things have shifted completely. I honestly can't put my finger on what changed, but she started attending these low mass services constantly. It isn't like there's some underlying health issue—she isn't sick, her dad isn't sick, and none of the rest of the family is dealing with any medical struggles either. It just happened.
Her mother was a fanatic too, though she was a pretty bitter person at heart. 🙄 I haven't even set foot in there. 🤣
There are a handful of women in my neighborhood who have formed this sort of influential clique within our local church. They spend all their time running various humanitarian foundations or organizing those tedious little community projects—you know the type, like those repetitive charity bake sales or food drives that seem to go on forever. It’s become such a thing that my mom actually feels awkward about me showing up to service with them. She’s worried that if I walk into the sanctuary alongside this group, the pastor is going to look me dead in the eye and demand an explanation for where on earth I’ve been for the last six or seven years. 😛 I'm sure my mom tells those women that I'll probably end up heading over to the other church, just because I have a whole group of friends hanging out there. 🤣 To be honest, I don't really know anyone who actually makes an effort to go to church anymore. Even back when I used to attend, I never felt like I truly knew a single soul in the congregation. It always felt like being a stranger in a room full of people who already had their own established circles.
I agree with the first part: if church and faith and all those activities actually fulfilled her, she would be more content and upbeat. But clearly, she isn't.
As for the second part: I also suspect something happened to your mother—but what? Some kind of major life shift?
Nicole Morales3 said:Man, you are a total legend... Honestly, I haven't laughed this hard in ages. :-)
Same here. 😁 Even if the guy is trolling, he's entertaining. 😂