A lot has happened in this world and this girl since the last post. Though it is refreshing to know that when I find myself stumbling back to this blog to wordsmith my way through my thoughts, I will always find a true piece of me here.
In 2015, I was articulating how a song would impact me each time I heard it....
It still does.
When I started this blog AGES ago, I named it "Freedom For the Thought." The name is a quote from a dissenting opinion written by Justice Holmes:
"[I]f there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other,” he wrote, “it is the principle of free thought — not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.”
This has been a banner for me.
Holmes was calling for a toleration of differing Political beliefs. Such as .. Pacifism. Communism. Socialism. Feminism. I'd bet anything you can add an -Ism to he would probably be speaking to.
To me, we can stop at the word Toleration. When you surround yourself with people that look like you, speak like you, believe what you do, sound like. you, dress like you.... you're setting yourself up for a mindset of Intolerance.
I have my own beliefs. I have my own religious beliefs. I have my own opinions. Tolerance of opposing beliefs and opinions means discussing for understanding. Listening for understanding, not to respond. It means telling, not to convince or sway others to your views.
This quote is often associated with the First Amendment - "Free Speech." To me it is a reminder to always consider the opposite. To mindfully pursue the opinion and thought that is not like my own. Often, by considering the opposite side of the coin, I'm better able to understand and articulate my own thoughts.
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