*Dont jump to conclusions* I had an experience just yesterday where I was sitting in a circle and there were a few gentleman who were discussing the Mormon religion very negatively and swearing by ‘facts’ about the Mormon church that I knew were not true. They didn’t know I was a Mormon myself, I didn’t say anything, I just sat and listened, and found it interesting how confident and how sure they were in their opinions about a religion that I knew, almost for certain, that they knew very little about. The conversation did fluster me for a moment, but after a few deep breaths it did not make me angry, I did not care what they said, it was not going to change my view or my belief, nor really effect me in anyway. They didnt mean to offend anyone, they were simply discussing what they had heard through very little experience and research about the religion. It doesn’t matter that this negative conversation was about Mormons specifically, it could have been about any group of people, it could have been Mormons talking negatively about those who are not, and I would have felt the same way. That it was wrong, rude, disrespectful and inappropriate. What this experience did do for me is remind how important it is to respect people, regardless of the way they believe and live their life. There is a specific reason why someone has become what they are, and the most important thing you can do for someone is respect who they are, what they believe, why they believe it. You have no idea what a person has gone through to make them the person they are today. Why do we need to talk so negatively about those who are different from us? Is it necessary? I think one of the most important lessons someone can learn is to take upon oneself to research and develop an understanding for topics that you might think are wrong or that you don’t understand, before spreading to the world, “this is what I heard,” “this is what so and so told me,” “isn’t that ridiculous.” What is so wrong with researching, and truly understanding the topic by looking it up and reading about it from a reliable source? Then you have formed an opinion for yourself and it could still stay negative, it could even form into a neutral opinion, maybe even a positive opinion. On the other end of the spectrum, I have another, somewhat extreme example. Smoking weed....okay? A lot of different opinions out there about this topic. Do I think this is the best thing? No. I do not. Will I ever do it? No. I will not. But, I don’t necessarily have a completely negative opinion about it. I decided one night to research it because I saw it had become legalized in different states and I started to think, “this is so wrong.” I wanted to understand what it really was and why some states were allowing it, before I just said that it was bad. I learned a few interesting things and I’m going to briefly make mention of a few. What I learned was that it was one of the least addictive substances someone could do, and some doctors argued that a little can actually be good for one’s health, but that too much of it can be harmful, just like anything. I then decided to ask people who knew more about it, why do it? What benefit do people get? Especially since it’s illegal in Idaho? What is so great about it that people want to break the law to do it? And I got multiple responses but the one that stuck out to me the most was that it can create a temporary state of happiness through relaxation. This is something that I can’t judge someone on, especially if the individual has thought about the risks of using different substances that alter their mind and if some doctors say that the substance is not causing any serious harm to the individual. My respect for those that do it is not lost for their choice to feel happiness. Everyone wants to feel happy, for me personally I get this feeling through going to church, being with family, and riding horses etc. I would hope someone wouldnt lose respect for me by the way I choose to feel happiness. Granted the positive and negative consequences behind the choices are different, but what makes me better then someone else to say that my way of feeling happiness is better then somebody else’s? When that is how they WANT to live. I can’t. I can’t judge someone for that, people have grown up so differently from each other, we have our own mentalities about life, our own strengths and weaknesses, our own experiences and life that we are going through that people know very little about. How boring would it be if everyone thought and lived their life just like me or you? Incredibly boring. I know I used two very extreme examples, but they cover both extreme ends of the spectrum. So in conclusion don’t be afraid to learn about something new, research it and develop an opinion that you didn’t gain from what you’ve simply heard. Happy Sunday!
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 23:27:45 +0000
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