In which I blather on and don't make much sense
It's occurred to me that it's very difficult to be open-minded. It's one thing to, say, accept actions or words that have the ability to affect you, personally. I, for instance, happen to believe that consenting adults can have whatever type of relationship that they want, regardless of gender, kinks, or number of people in the relationship. I try not to declare, "That's sick" or "That's wrong", because while whatever is involved in the relationship may not float my boat, the fact that it exists means that it works for someone out there. "Live and let live", as it were. It's easy to accept views/beliefs that coincide with your own. But shouldn't being open-minded mean that you respect someone else's opinions even if you don't agree with them? I used to talk to people about homosexual relationships. I think there's nothing wrong with them, and it makes me very sad to hear people being condemned for their choice of lover; I used to try and convince others of that. Now, though, I'm more likely to say, "Let's agree to disagree", partially because I got tired of banging my head against a wall, but also because I realized that I was doing exactly what I hated to have done to me. I was forcing my beliefs on someone because I thought that I was right and they were wrong. I think that if more people realized that, our world would be slightly easier to live in.