I believe...
I believe...
...that all people have the right to receive treatment when they are sick, healthy food enough to assuage their hunger when they are hungry, clean water enough to assuage their thirst when they are thirsty, and a warm, dry place to sleep, outside the elements, that doesn't screw them up too badly. I believe that more than this is luxury, and is a privilage, not a right; I also believe that you have the right to refuse any of these things, providing you are in your right mind and fully able to understand what you're giving away.
...that what consenting adults do in their own bedroom is their own business, and if it involves a chicken suit, the collected works of Emily Dickenson, and a cream pie, I am intrigued, but still do not wish to know. I believe that no one has the right to dictate what gives pleasure and completion to other people, save that the word 'consenting' is absolutely vital -- if it can't say 'yes' and understand what it's saying, it really shouldn't be there. (Unless you're an animist, this doesn't apply to things that aren't alive.)
...that no one is stupid or immature because they like something, however silly or trite it may seem from the outside. My Little Ponies, Disney movies, monster trucks, reality shows, professional wrestling, romance novels, none of these are intrinsically more or less worthwhile than any other hobby or interest people may choose to pursue. I believe that snobbery causes people to miss out on a lot of good experiences and relationships in life, because saying 'she reads Stephen King, she's not our kind' doesn't actually make you better, it just makes you lonely.
...that sometimes, 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all' is really a valid way to approach things. That doesn't mean you can't say 'I disliked this', but more that I fail to see the point in wasting time and energy and emotion on tearing down things that other people care about. If I don't like CSI: Atlantis, I should be free to say so, but shouldn't spend all my time telling you that you can't like it either.
...that people need to give more hugs, draw more pictures, sing more songs, and do more of the little things that make them happy, because there's sadness and sorrow enough in this world. People need to find pleasure in pennies on the street and leaves falling, or similar things that work for them, because joy is what we make it.
I believe I love you, and the solstice is tomorrow; we're turning this winter around.
...that all people have the right to receive treatment when they are sick, healthy food enough to assuage their hunger when they are hungry, clean water enough to assuage their thirst when they are thirsty, and a warm, dry place to sleep, outside the elements, that doesn't screw them up too badly. I believe that more than this is luxury, and is a privilage, not a right; I also believe that you have the right to refuse any of these things, providing you are in your right mind and fully able to understand what you're giving away.
...that what consenting adults do in their own bedroom is their own business, and if it involves a chicken suit, the collected works of Emily Dickenson, and a cream pie, I am intrigued, but still do not wish to know. I believe that no one has the right to dictate what gives pleasure and completion to other people, save that the word 'consenting' is absolutely vital -- if it can't say 'yes' and understand what it's saying, it really shouldn't be there. (Unless you're an animist, this doesn't apply to things that aren't alive.)
...that no one is stupid or immature because they like something, however silly or trite it may seem from the outside. My Little Ponies, Disney movies, monster trucks, reality shows, professional wrestling, romance novels, none of these are intrinsically more or less worthwhile than any other hobby or interest people may choose to pursue. I believe that snobbery causes people to miss out on a lot of good experiences and relationships in life, because saying 'she reads Stephen King, she's not our kind' doesn't actually make you better, it just makes you lonely.
...that sometimes, 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all' is really a valid way to approach things. That doesn't mean you can't say 'I disliked this', but more that I fail to see the point in wasting time and energy and emotion on tearing down things that other people care about. If I don't like CSI: Atlantis, I should be free to say so, but shouldn't spend all my time telling you that you can't like it either.
...that people need to give more hugs, draw more pictures, sing more songs, and do more of the little things that make them happy, because there's sadness and sorrow enough in this world. People need to find pleasure in pennies on the street and leaves falling, or similar things that work for them, because joy is what we make it.
I believe I love you, and the solstice is tomorrow; we're turning this winter around.