Respect Trumps Everything
I don't care how much you detest someone's life choices, or what you think of their clothing, or if you can't stand their table manners. For goodness' sake, be respectful. You can keep your thoughts to yourself. You can maintain an attitude of respect even if someone doesn't smell good. You can be kind to someone who's lifestyle you find odious.
What is it with people who feel they have to express their personal feelings about someone's stuff? Since when is that required? Jerks who are rude to women in hijabs, who recoil from those who differ in politics, who act like smokers or gays or the obese are beneath simple human courtesy are just a scourge on this society, and the most glaring indication of a culture without conscience.
I don't deny that some people can really push my buttons, especially when they press themselves on me and demand I not only accept and celebrate their choices, but love them for it. For me, whether or not I love you is not going to have anything to do with your actions; it's a decision I make. But here's the thing: even if I decide not to love you, I can still be respectful in simple interactions. That's my goal. I acknowledge I'm not always successful, but it is my goal.
A room full of left-wingers and right-wingers can treat each other courteously. It is possible. It is entirely doable for people who have strong personal feelings about homosexuality to work companionably with gay men and women, because there's no requirement that we wear our opinions like a big sign for everyone to read. Get over your need to establish with others where you stand on the way they think or live. I won't turn up my nose at your excessive eating habits if you'll keep quiet about how much you hate Christians. Let's just treat each other with civility. That's how civilizations of different kinds of people have always thrived.
What is it with people who feel they have to express their personal feelings about someone's stuff? Since when is that required? Jerks who are rude to women in hijabs, who recoil from those who differ in politics, who act like smokers or gays or the obese are beneath simple human courtesy are just a scourge on this society, and the most glaring indication of a culture without conscience.
I don't deny that some people can really push my buttons, especially when they press themselves on me and demand I not only accept and celebrate their choices, but love them for it. For me, whether or not I love you is not going to have anything to do with your actions; it's a decision I make. But here's the thing: even if I decide not to love you, I can still be respectful in simple interactions. That's my goal. I acknowledge I'm not always successful, but it is my goal.
A room full of left-wingers and right-wingers can treat each other courteously. It is possible. It is entirely doable for people who have strong personal feelings about homosexuality to work companionably with gay men and women, because there's no requirement that we wear our opinions like a big sign for everyone to read. Get over your need to establish with others where you stand on the way they think or live. I won't turn up my nose at your excessive eating habits if you'll keep quiet about how much you hate Christians. Let's just treat each other with civility. That's how civilizations of different kinds of people have always thrived.
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