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| This has nothing to do with the post below; I just think it's pretty. |
"Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?" - Confucius
Four years ago, I decided to use this forum to be vocal about my thoughts and opinions about the political issues of the day, primarily the presidential election. This backfired, and I received some pretty acerbic (not to mention anonymous) comments that didn't just attack my personal beliefs, they attacked me as a person.
Because of this, I opted to stay pretty silent about my opinions this time around... at least here on the blog. But I kind of sort of really got sucked into sharing my opinions on Facebook. (Oh Facebook, you dirty temptress, you.) Foolishly, I thought that by doing so in a respectful manner (i.e. posting things on my feed that are important to me, without going on the offensive and attacking or insulting others who feel contrary), I would then be afforded the same courtesy. Especially since you can't really pursue the whole "anonymous" route in this forum. (Plus, you always have the option of "unsubscribing" to someone's feed. Just saying.) However, again, I was disappointed.
I suppose I just don't understand why something like politics has to be so divisive and polarizing all the time. I don't understand why you can't have a meaningful conversation about issues (even if they are negative) without engaging in personal attacks. (Perhaps those sentiments are overly-naive or idealistic, but it's truly how I feel.) While I certainly have strong opinions that I have developed based upon intensive study, that doesn't mean that I will discount another's equally fervent convictions if they are dissimilar to mine. I like surrounding myself with a diversity of thoughts, ideas and beliefs, because I feel that doing so enriches my life.
I mainly just think it's important to vote because it's a right that so few people in the world have. And I don't think that there's such a thing as a perfect candidate, either. You just have to weigh all of the issues and choose the person whose platform more closely aligns with your personal convictions and beliefs. It's really that simple.
So, to those who might feel that it's incumbent to insult, belittle or deride someone who believes differently than you do, I would (nicely) implore you to stop. Because you're better than that. Leave it at, "let's agree to disagree," and call it a day.
And that's all I'm going to say about that.
I suppose I just don't understand why something like politics has to be so divisive and polarizing all the time. I don't understand why you can't have a meaningful conversation about issues (even if they are negative) without engaging in personal attacks. (Perhaps those sentiments are overly-naive or idealistic, but it's truly how I feel.) While I certainly have strong opinions that I have developed based upon intensive study, that doesn't mean that I will discount another's equally fervent convictions if they are dissimilar to mine. I like surrounding myself with a diversity of thoughts, ideas and beliefs, because I feel that doing so enriches my life.
I mainly just think it's important to vote because it's a right that so few people in the world have. And I don't think that there's such a thing as a perfect candidate, either. You just have to weigh all of the issues and choose the person whose platform more closely aligns with your personal convictions and beliefs. It's really that simple.
So, to those who might feel that it's incumbent to insult, belittle or deride someone who believes differently than you do, I would (nicely) implore you to stop. Because you're better than that. Leave it at, "let's agree to disagree," and call it a day.
And that's all I'm going to say about that.
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