Today I lost a friend. I guess she wasn't much of a friend based on what she said and attempted to justify. Words can be as beautiful as the first flower after the harshest winter and they can be as sharp as a scalpel blade. Public forums are sounding boards for our thoughts, hopes, daily struggles, and funny moments. As an adult with morals that I hope to instill in my children I would never post certain words or phrases that are taken derogatory towards a certain group of people based on their religion, gender, sex, mental status, sexual preference or race. I would hope that the people I picked as my friends would agree and have similar thoughts about what they would say on public forum for all to read, including their own child. Then to continue on a tirade about how they can say anything they want and use the same phrase and conitations over and over again. Honestly, it made her look uneducated and like the phrase she was using. Just because words exist doesn't make it right to use them. We make impressions about what type of person we are based on our words. Kindness and compassion will carry a person further in relationships than spewing hate. In the end the hate she spewed made her look worse and worse. Yelling isn't effective communication. I removed her from my phone, networking accounts, and life. I reflected on our 'friendship' and realize I did much more for her than she ever did for me. I made the right decison and have logged this away in my memory for when TinkerBean and Little Man are older and have a similar situation.
Tolerance. It's defined as:
Tolerance. It's defined as:
1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.
In the days ahead we truly need to understand what tolerance means. I've had to stop and remember it a few times today. At our core we are all human. We have different color eyes, hair, and skin. We are short and tall; old and young. Tolerance is hard especially when people are yelling malevolent things at their fellow humans based on their political stance or religious ideas. Our children are being bullied with a cruelty that is outrageous and many parents stand by without action.
Stand up my friends, for tolerance. We need our world to a better place, enviromentally and morally, for the next generation. Hate is a strong thing and many actions and words cannot be taken back or fixed. Words can build or burn bridges.
I might be one less friend tonight, but I can sleep soundly knowing I did the right thing and I didn't insult or make any friends or strangers contrite. Tolerance, I has it :)
Post a Comment