You can tell the difference between two different senses of life by looking at what imagery evokes moral horror in people who hold one of the two. This point was violently driven home to me by the backlash to the California Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage.

Who was celebrating? Not the social conservatives. In fact, the specter of gay couples with government issued marriage licenses, and the benefits that come with them motivated social conservatives to put the question to the vote. These miscreants rushed to acquire the signatures necessary to put the proposal that the California constitution be amended to stipulate that marriage is only between a man and a woman on the November ballot.

And this tells me a lot about their sense of life. It tells me that they prefer misery to joy when their god demands it. It tells me that they cannot truly understand the joy of liberty, because their entire perspective on the world is motivated by fear and obedience to a conservative god.

How can a person who believes the good is achieved via obedience understand the beauty of romantic love outside of narrowly circumscribed limits?

They just can’t do it very easily.

Every time you hear somebody preach about the “evil” of government recognized same sex marriage, you should watch this video.

And be reminded that what you’re watching is what they say is immoral.

Contrast this spirit with that of the couples enjoying their romance and marriage in the video.

It’s the difference between a morality of joy and a morality of misery.

Update: A wise friend of mine has pointed out that I should be careful about making sweeping generalizations pertaining to the sense of life that people holding certain explicit philosophical or ideological convictions hold.