R-E-S-P-E-C-T equals Equality

So last weekish I was asked to write a blog about equality. I did, but I wasn't really happy with it. I think I do better when I take some time to think about the matter. My views on it. Examples. Why I'm even talking about it in the first place. So here is take two.


My thoughts on life can really be summed into one thought. I do not believe that any one person is living life so perfectly that they have any room to be telling anyone else how to be living their life. For me, it's that simple. Am I a good person? I think so. Are there things out there that I don't agree with? You bet. Do I have any place to be telling someone else that their chosen way of life, their chosen thoughts or feelings are wrong and invalid? No way!

I don't drink. Does that mean that I think that my mommy friends who get together and have margarita's are bad people? No. I don't drink coffee because it makes me sick. Shame on all you coffee guzzlers? No. I don't smoke...but I use to. Now every single one of you smokers drop those cigarettes right this minute!? Not if you don't want to. I don't do drugs and don't think it's a good idea. So all you strung out druggies get in rehab? It's up to you. I'm happily married to the opposite sex. So curse all you dirty gays to Hell? Believe it or not...no. Speaking of Hell. I'm a Christian. So curse you all to Hell whom disagree with me? *sighs* No.


I may not do certain things and may do other things. I may not agree with certain things and agree with others. But here is the huge kicker. I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU DO! Do I think that the people shooting their kids up with bleach in an effort to "cure" autism are crazy? Oh you better believe it. Even something THAT crazy though, to control them is to say that I believe that controlling people is a good idea. And once you say that about one thing, it spreads over into other things, and then more things, and more things....it grows. Like a weed. It grows and it spreads.


When you spend so much time worrying about what other people are doing. What they are saying, thinking or feeling you bring yourself down. You resort to angry and hateful feelings towards those people. I just don't really have time for that. I am too happy with my life to clog it up with ill feelings about other people. That doesn't mean I don't have those feelings. I just don't FEED them. If you don't feed them it makes it hard for them to grow.


Equality and respect go hand in hand. You cannot say you want equality and not respect someone else's rights to the same things. Take religion for example. You cannot demand the freedom to not be apart of a religion and then say so since I don't believe in religion I do not want to see/hear/know anything about anyone else who does believe. Vice versa as well. I don't smoke. Where I live they have laws now that say you cannot smoke inside places of business unless it is separated off from the main section and has separate ventilation. I'm ok with that. To me this is an arrangement that respects everyone's rights. No one says you can't smoke, just step outside. I'm ok with passing people on the sidewalk smoking. That's their right. My daughter isn't. She feels like if you are walking in a crowd you shouldn't be smoking. She has the right to feel that way. Her view is from being a child and people walking on crowded sidewalks...she's had some cigarettes in her face. I see her point, sure I agree that in a crowded situation it's probably not the nicest thing to be doing. However you cannot impede on their right without making it ok to impede on your rights.

I really feel like people have gotten too far into the habit of worrying about everyone else. The Bible tells us that you cannot focus on someone else's splinter when you have a whole stick in your eye. Whether you are religious or not, you can get the point and it is sound advice. However, I think that many people spend so much time looking at others so that they do not have to look at themselves. I am a flawed human being. You are a flawed human being. Everyone you know is a flawed human being. Life is hard enough without people throwing proverbial sticks and stones at each other. And you know what, there are going to be people, groups of people, who do resort to slinging hate, fear, and anger. This does NOT mean you have to join them, either by slinging it with them or at them. Either way you're still slinging it.


Let's focus on being our best. Let's show our children the way to be by example. Let's show our neighbors, friends, family, and random strangers. I respect your right to be YOU. No matter who YOU are. No matter who you love. No matter what god or lack there of that is in your life. No matter if you have hate in your heart. No matter the choices I choose to make for myself. I am not you. You are not me. And that is perfectly ok!