To Each His (Or Her) Own

Yet another bizarre night in the life of "he who must not be named". I'm in my pajamas on my bed browsing the Internet at around 10:30 p.m. when I get asked to accompany my aunt to the casino. Not wanting to pass up another random adventure, I said yes. I brought up the fact that I didn't have an I.D. but she said it probably wouldn't be a problem. To my surprise and relief, it wasn't. We just walked right in. After dropping me off at my requested destination: the bar, she left me for the blackjack tables.

Like all bars I've been to, there was only sports playing on all of their displays. I had a quick drink and then decided to tour the place. I walked around, but not too far from where I was. I weaved in and out of isles of slots, wandered over to the blackjack tables, and like a magnet I was pulled back to the bar. Unfortunately when I got back, it was past a certain time they served alcohol, so I sampled some of the food they had on display and asked for a soda instead. After that I separated myself from the bar, took a seat on a comfy couch in the same vicinity, and pulled out the book that I brought with me: The God Delusion.

A waitress came over to where I was sitting and asked if I wanted anything to drink. For some odd reason, I asked for cranberry juice. I have absolutely no idea why I asked for cranberry juice. Out of everything I could have possibly asked for to drink, cranberry juice would usually be my last choice. I didn't even hesitate, nor did I take back the order. It turned out to be the best cranberry juice I've ever tasted. And yes, I will be dreaming about cranberry juice tonight.

Anyway, when the waitress dropped off my drink she inquired about the book I was reading. I told her it was the author's take on religion in general. She then asked me what my religion was and I told her that I was an atheist. She then leaned over and sort of whispered, "As an atheist, how do you explain how this fucked up world is holding itself together?". As she stood up, I smiled at her, shook my head, and said, "I have no idea". Being the playful, curious person she was, she asked me if I'd be willing to attend church with her. "Well, I, uh", was what followed. I wasn't sure if she was being literal or not, and having an open mind like I do I didn't want just say no. Looking like she had just made me feel uncomfortable, she started to walk away. I quickly blurted out, "what church?". She turned around and came back over to my table and sat down this time across from me.

She explained how she was raised a Christian and continued to tell a story about how she was very sick at a young age and how praying and attending church help her get better. "The doctors has no clue what was wrong with me". This kind of reminded me of those church channels you flip by when you're looking for something to watch on tv. A televised church service in this huge cathedral packed to the max, of an old lady in a wheelchair who when is touched by the sermon, is miraculously cured and is able to stand and walk around. I don't believe she was lying to me; she seemed sincere enough. I didn't quite feel like getting into the whole religious debate, so I just sat there and said, "wow". I mean, what else could I have said? Seeing how the conversation didn't seem to be progressing, she ended it with, "well, to each his own I guess". "That's right", I said and she got up and walked away.

There were a number of reasons why I didn't continue the conversation. One being that she probably had to get back to her job. If she was just a guest at the casino, I might have talked a bit more with her, although I'm not sure where it would go. Being a skeptic, I might have addressed the health issue. It's not uncommon that illnesses go undiagnosed. From what I know, many of them turn out to be mental illnesses that the patient both creates and cures themselves over time. I also probably would have said that just one unexplainable phenomenon isn't enough to prove the existence of a god. But who knows how she might have responded.

In the end I'm glad it ended the way it did. To each his own, believe what you want to believe.