I am the first one to celebrate and jump up and down about the Supreme Court's decision yesterday, however I must admit that the decision did not surprise me. For years society has been changing and moving towards a different direction than before. Just like any other social issue, it comes time when the more accepting people of those things that were not as accepted before become the majority and so this pushes for change in laws and different interpretations.
For years though we have asked for acceptance and no hate towards people who are of different color, age, gender, sexual orientation, etc. from those people that due to different beliefs have decided to make sure to spread words of hate and created animosity over this.
I am glad that anyone can get married to whoever they choose to get married to, I am not glad that there are people, business owners who are being targeted because they do not want to participate in marriages between two people of the same sex. I am not saying these people were in the right, or that it is ok; I am saying that as the owner of a private business they have the right to do business with whoever they want and the right to refuse business to whoever they want.
This country was founded on free enterprise and religious freedom, I am not saying people should go ahead and insult someone because they are different, but if they are respectfully refusing to participate in something; government has no right to fine them or obligate them to do so.
Just like I as a consumer have the right to choose the companies I do business with so do these companies have the right to choose whether they want to do business with you or not. This country is all about free market and free enterprise, yet right now we are seeing cases being brought up as discrimination because someone refused to participate in an event they did not agree with.
Which brings me to my point, respect has to come from both sides, you cannot ask for respect and acceptance of who you are and how you are if you are not going to accept others the way they are and for who they are, beliefs and all. Now, I am not saying that accepting someone means you will go ahead and participate or believe the way they do, or even force you to be around that person. It does not mean you will continue to talk to them, do business with them or have them around. Accepting someone the way they are means that you keep your insults to yourself, you agree to disagree and everyone goes on their merry way.
Love cannot win if we are not accepting on both sides, if the hatred gets transferred from one side to the other. If we gloat over our wins and put the others down, make people lose their businesses because they don't believe the way we do. That is not love, love is accepting and if we want love to win, we need to stop people insulting each other, trying to push our beliefs down someone else's throats because we think our beliefs are better than theirs, hating each other because we believe differently.
I guess in a way I am a Utopian, I wish everyone would just get along rather than fight over differences of beliefs.
This is a keen article with good insight about both sides of a difficult issue. When people accept one another, they view one another as individuals...as equals...as people. If I would like to be heard, then I must listen. If I would like to be respected, then I must show respect. Equals don't go ballistic, sue one another, or stew over disagreement. Equals don't let a disagreement or an idea get in the way of being themselves. Disagreements are good; they help us to learn, and if we learn anything at all it should be that "a human being is more valuable than all of the right opinions in the world."
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