Warning: This post is going to talk about poop. If you are uncomfortable with that, you probably should not continue reading.
I am officially home for Christmas break. It would be even more wonderful if I didn't feel like I had a million things to do: finish my 30 page paper, apply for jobs, look for an apartment, apply for a board position, etc, etc. However, it does feel really nice to be home.
People always ask me if I like Utah. My response is always a little hesitant. I loved Utah this summer when I wasn't in law school and I could go rock climbing and hiking everyday. I do not like the BYU-Mormon culture that I live in during the school year. You may ask why, what's so different. I'll give you a couple of examples.
First, if you see a couple of people smoking in Provo, certainly someone you're with will think one of two things - the person is a nonmember and you must go over to them and share the gospel with them or that the person is "inactive" and is somehow a terrible person and you must go over there and fix them. Now, I'm all for eternal salvation, but for the right reasons. I don't think that just because you think you ought to is the right reason. I really wish people would care about you for who you are and not because they think that they should. This is one of my biggest pet peeves about people from Utah. I care about people because I want to, not because I'm obligated to. Granted, the structure of the church gives you an opportunity to get to know people you probably wouldn't otherwise, and I'm completely ok with that. (visiting and home teaching programs or most any calling). I just hope that you end up caring about those people not because you have to, but because you want to.
The difference with a group of friends from Michigan (who are LDS) passing two people smoking, they wouldn't say anything or probably even notice. This isn't to say that I condone smoking, it's just that because someone smokes, it doesn't mean that they are a bad person. And I like the fact that my LDS friends from Michigan are just a little more accustomed to people who are not Molly Mormon.
The second example: I have a theory that people are really your friends when you can talk about your bowel movements with them. This is because it is not the most pleasant topic of conversation, it can often be embarrassing, and let's be honest, people just don't talk about poop all that much. So when you get to the point in the friendship where you can talk about poop, then you're really friends and share all those funny, embarrassing, or other experiences.
So tonight, I was with a group of LDS friends and someone brought the conversation to poop. Not just any poop topic, but specifically a woman giving birth pooping. We debated whether or not a sensitive sense of smell and gag reflex would make it appropriate for the husband to not be with the wife as she gives birth because she poops a lot during that process.
Yes, this was a random topic of conversation. I bring it up because I really doubt that I could have such a conversation with most of the people who are my "friends" that I've met at BYU or in Provo in general. (Please note that it was a group of 7ish people, and I previously had had in-depth conversations with one of them).
I just don't think that the Provo mentality is cut out for having conversations like this. I always bring up somewhat uncomfortable topics and the subject is quickly changed. I think that talking about things that may be a little uncomfortable are really interesting and worth talking about. In Provo, I feel like the only things people want to talk about is who they went on their last date with, who their next date is with, and their program in school. And that just bugs me.
So smoking and poop are two reasons why I like Michigan better than Utah. Yes, that's weird, but I'm ok with it. I'm proud to be a Michigander.
