When did people
in our society lose common sense? When
did respect and tolerance become a one-way street? Why are Americans so divided? Why is it nearly impossible to have a real
conversation with someone with different ideas and beliefs?
The following comparison between
Republicans and Democrats (author Joe Brown) states some differences between
conservatives and liberals, but the comments deserve some serious thought about
common sense, respect, and tolerance.
“If a Republican doesn’t like
guns, he doesn’t buy one. If a Democrat
doesn’t like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.
If a Republican is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat. If a Democrat is a vegetarian, he wants all
meat products banned for everyone. If a
Republican is homosexual, he quietly leads his life. If a Democrat is homosexual, he demands
legislated respect. If a Republican is
down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A Democrat wonders who is going to take care
of him. If a Republican doesn’t like a
talk show host, he switches channels.
Democrats demand that those they don’t like be shut down. If a Republican is a non-believer, he doesn’t
go to church. A Democrat non-believer
wants any mention of God and religion silenced.
If a Republican decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for
it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A Democrat demands that the rest of us pay for his. If a Republican reads this, he’ll forward it
so his friends can have a good laugh. A
Democrat will delete it because he’s `offended.’ Well, I forwarded it.”
Were you offended by the
comparison? Why is there so little
tolerance among us? Why do so many of us
become offended so easily? What happened
to the idea of living the Golden Rule and treating each other with respect?
Steven Anglin wrote about the
difference in how various people are treated in our nation today. His statements should make all of us think a
little deeper about how the laws of our land are being applied. “1) If you can get arrested for hunting or
fishing without a license, but not for being in the country illegally, you
might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots. 2) If you have to get your parents’ permission
to go on a field trip or take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion,
you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots. 3) If you have to show identification to
board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book, but
not to vote, you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by
idiots. 4) If the government wants to
ban stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines with more than ten
rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt,
you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots. 5) If, in our largest city, you can buy two
16-ounce sodas, but not a 24-ounce soda because 24-ounces of a sugary drink
might make you fat, you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by
idiots. 6) If an 80-year-old woman and a
3-year-old child can be stripped searched by the TSA, but a woman in a hijab is
only subject to having her neck and head searched, you might live in a country
founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
7) If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions
of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more, you might live in a country
founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
8) If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his
teacher is cute, but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade
school is perfectly acceptable, you might live in a country founded by geniuses
but run by idiots. 9) If children are
forcibly removed from parents who discipline them with spankings while children
of addicts are left in filth and drug infested homes, you might live in a
country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
10) If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more
government intrusion, while not working is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks,
Medicaid, subsidized housing, and free cell phones, you might live in a country
founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
11) If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big
screen TV while your neighbor buys iPhones, TVs and new cars, and the
government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage, you might live
in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots. 12) If being stripped of the ability to
defend yourself makes you safer according to the government, you might live in
a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.”
Why has our society deteriorated
to this point? I believe this
deterioration can be traced right back to the breakdown of the family. It is in the home that we learn to find joy
in the simple things of life. It is in
the home that we learn that “things” do not bring happiness but joy comes
through relationships. It is in the home
that we learn to speak respectfully to everyone, including those who make us
angry, disrespect us, or treat us badly.
It is in the home that we learn tolerance for people who are different. It is in the home that we learn many
important things about life. God
organized us in families so that we could learn to live together in love.
President James E. Faust stated,
“Your success as a family, our
success as a society, depends not on
what happens in the White House, but
on what happens in your house.”
Home and family are the
foundation of society, and the breakdown of the family has caused a breakdown
in our society. As a child, I was taught
to never judge another person until I walked a mile in his shoes. This means that we should never judge a
person’s life or character until we have experienced the same problems,
sorrows, doubts, fears, pains, etc. Only
God knows the particulars of a person’s life, and only He can judge
accurately. When we show respect for
others, it does not mean that we have to give up our convictions and adopt the
ideas of other people. Respect means to
accept others as they are and to realize that everyone does not see things the
way we see them. Every person is an
individual and should be treated as such.
I believe that President Spencer
W. Kimball said it best when he taught:
“Avoid undue concern about others.
When you do not worry or concern yourself too much with what other
people do and believe and say, there will come to you a new freedom.”
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