We All Deserve Respect
There are a few things I accept as definites in this world – change is constant, taxes need to be paid, and humans are all different. There are also many things that occur in this world which are far more difficult to accept – hatred, racism, prejudice, discrimination, misogyny, bigotry. These concepts can be harmful to other humans, especially when people decide to take action in the name of those ideas. We are all human and we all deserve to be treated with respect, regardless of our backgrounds, culture, and faith.
Tolerance is defined as “the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with”. The ability to be tolerant is an act of maturity, patience, and wisdom. If we do not agree with the way people live their life, that is perfectly acceptable, as long as we respect each other. It is not acceptable, however, for anyone to force their own way of life upon others. It is also never acceptable to make someone a victim of our ideologies.
Push Back Against Influence to be Intolerant
There have been many events in the United States in recent times which were perpetrated on the foundation of hatred. These shocking events are tragic, discriminatory, and bred out of fear. What makes the situation worse is that these events are not isolated to the US – they exist everywhere, albeit with different circumstances.
There is a concept Indians practice called “unity in diversity“. This idea encourages people from dissimilar classes who speak different languages and practice various faiths to respect one another in spite of their lack of similarity. They live in harmony through their differences because they understand that we are all part of one existence.
Look at the World from a Different Perspective
I implore you to look around and embrace the differences you see among humans. Different genders, sexual orientation, faiths, intellect, skin tones, ethnicities, cultures, skillsets and abilities. The differences between us are vast and we should feel comfortable knowing that we can be ourselves while others are free to do the same.
It is possible to wake up every day and be a decent person to our fellow humans.
It is possible to live in peace.
It is possible to live in unity.
It is possible to live in harmony.
Until next time…
Peace and love,
Jessica <3
