Roy-Gene (Aidan) is a writer, Christ-follower, Orthodox catechumen, social and political progressive, former junior high Student Council presidential candidate, occasional hipster, rabble-rouser, recovering cynic, disaffected country boy, aspiring coffee and beer connoisseur, and flagrant dreamer (but not in that order) as well as a 2012 graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Not that it matters, but he also happens to be gay. At present, he’s engaged in a long-term existential quest amid a wild and unpredictable wilderness–also known as “Life”. He likes his brews strong, his conversations deep, and there are only two things he truly detests in life: people who take pride in their ignorance and dark chocolate.
He was catechized as “Aidan”–for St. Aidan of Lindisfarne–on July 22, 2012, and hopes to eventually be received as a full communicant within the Orthodox Catholic Church. Beginning in February of 2013, he became a resident of Daegu, South Korea, and began teaching English as a second language for at least a year, maybe longer. Ultimately, he hopes a few years teaching abroad will only enhance his zeal for becoming a Peace Corps volunteer, not dampen it. Finally, yes, he did write this himself in the third person. Deal with it.
About Roygeneable
Hi. I’m Roy-Gene. I write shit.
Of course, that’s not to say what I write is shit, but I do write a lot. It’s what I do and I do it because I love it. I guess I can really only hope what I write isn’t shit in the literal sense. Anyway, before I get the chance to really offend you, let me say this: I’m glad you dropped by. It means a lot to me for people to read what I have to say, whether they agree with it or not.
In simplest terms, my “goal in writing” (if it’s even even wise to have such a thing) is to make people think–to make people think about what they believe, about what they say, and about what they do. I’ll go out on a limb and say that in the potluck of problems the world faces, the biggest dish is ignorance. Not illiteracy, ignorance, which I define as “belligerent illiteracy.” Oh, and add to that a maddening predisposition for people to just follow the herd of humanity. With any luck, I will at some point write something that pisses you off. At the very least, it means I’ve forced you to form your own opinion (or at least one different than mine).
I want the things I write to be funny, provocative, interesting, eye-opening, or maybe even inspiring (or any combination thereof) and it should be noted that I never say anything I don’t believe is right when I say it. That said, I do reserve the right to grow in wisdom, rethink my opinion, and reach a better conclusion if need be. And yes, since I’m not running for President of the United States, I’m allowed to do that. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching infomercial hosts, politicians, and televangelists, it would be that it’s far better to be heard because you say meaningful things and not simply because you have the loudest voice in the room.
It’s a fact of life and if there’s one thing known by people close to me, it’s that I keep it real. Cynicism is a waste of time, but, believe it or not, failing to acknowledge the times when things aren’t going great can ultimately lead to a cynical mindset. Keeping negative emotions pent up doesn’t make them go away; it just makes them worse. In light of that, I’d like to go on record and say that this was a decidedly atrocious week. I’m not talking about a routine squall, but really a Perfect Shit-Storm. So many things converged at once to make this week one that just wouldn’t pass quickly enough. So, sit back, relax, maybe grab some popcorn, because you’re about to hear all about it.
