I love living my life without Mormonism.
Leaving the Mormon culture in my early 20’s felt like walking off a spaceship into outer space without holding onto anything. I was let loose onto existence with nothing grounding me to the greater meaning of life.
I think having something to hold onto as to why we exist on this planet is necessary for mental health. The society we live in is filled with unreal expectations and widespread exploitation that not having anything greater to hold onto can be so defeating.
The Mormon religion provides concrete answers to timeless questions: Where do we come from? What happens after we die? What steps do I need to take to live a good life? Aside from that, the Mormon culture provides social support by connecting like-minded people every week (if not more) in a neighborhood space to literally break bread and spend time together.
Having a tribe is such a huge human need. I don’t judge people who practice Mormonism. Some of the people I most love and care for in this life are active Mormons.
But for me, I’m so happy to not be Mormon. For me, Mormonism came at a great personal cost. As a Mormon, there is pressure to live your life in a very specific way. From the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning, to the last thing you do at night, being an active Mormon means having a daily checklist for how to live your life – including who you are allowed to love romantically.
I’m in my early 30s now, and in the last 10 or so years, I have had to create a new checklist for how to live my life. I’m still figuring that one out. But I am happy to be free to pursue my truth, to change my habits and my values based on what works best for me, and to live a life where I want nothing from others except that they may live their own truth.
I believe that acknowledging your truth, accepting it and then living it is a nice way to live your life. To be sure, it’s not always an easy or happy journey. But for me it has been a journey of fulfillment that is brining me peace more and more as the days go by.
This piece brought to you by The Book of Mormon play, which my partner and I saw on Thursday. Has me reflecting.
resourcefulrhonda 