As I was driving into work this morning, I drove up to the badge reader that opens the gate to the parking lot. I noticed the suburban in front of me. It had a large confederate flag on the back window.

I sat there with my mouth gaping open in shock. Then my blood started to boil. I followed the suburban through the lot so I could get a glimpse who this asshole was. I didn't recognize him and he went toward a different building than I.

I don't get it! I don't understand why people are still like this. It's the year two thousand fucking four for crying out loud!

I understand that people are only human and we all have certain prejudices. I admit I have some. But to go to work with that on your vehicle, to a place that prides itself on diversity and has a very diverse staff of races, genders, etc. It is simply mind boggling and makes me sick to my stomach.

I have a friend at work whom I lunch with often. She is black. I am white. At first I didn't notice it but eventually I saw the stares. Not only from white people, but particularly black people. I just glare back at them until they look away. Of course, no one ever says anything to use, but their faces say enough. My friend didn't notice until I pointed it out. "You should see the looks my mother gets when she has my kids with her." Her mother is white.

When is it going to change? What breaks this cycle?

I don't have the answers but I have a feeling religion plays a big part in it. I saw a documentary last week called What The #$&! Do We Know!?. It's a documentary about quantum physics, brain chemistry and spirituality. Sounds dull, right? It was completely fascinating and at times, very over my head. One of the things that got me thinking the most was what all the scientists had to say about our concept of God. Basically many agreed that we as human being can never truly understand what God is because we simply don't have the comprehension and that what many believe to be God is false. There is no good and bad where God is concerned because those are man made concepts.

I don't believe most religions are good for humanity. So many people have abused minorities and women in the name of God. I have a serious problem with that Wars are started because of religions that Man built. Religiously sanctioned hatred and bigotry is evident in our society. It angers me.

A few years ago I read Why Christianity Must Change or Die. In it the author refers to "believers in exile" as people who have grown weary of the out-dated provincial tenets of Christianity. We live in a modern world full of knowledge and technology that obviously wasn't available in the First Century. Doesn't it make sense some of those precepts would be archaic now?

Some days when I think about the world we live in I get worn out. Everyday I see images on the news, read things about our government and country, see fires burning in cities I can't pronounce, look at faces of people in need. It makes me very sad.

I can only hope it will one day get better. Sometimes it feels like I am having to convince myself of that.