The beauty of living in America?? Our freedom! Our forefathers even created the First Amendment, stating that we have the freedom of speech. That's why it always surprises me when someone accuses another of (fill in the blank) because their opinions aren't the same. A friend sent me a lengthy email this morning because he didn't agree with my FB post that I think it's wrong that flags were flown at half mast because of Whitney Houston's death. He more or less said my friends that agreed with me were bullies because of their harsh comments on my post. I RESPECTFULLY disagreed with him because we were not threatening anyone and (to my knowledge) don't have access to Whitney or her entourage.
Growing up, in my house, you were encouraged to share your opinion. Even if no one agreed with you, people would listen. My dad, ever the diplomat, would calmly share why he disagreed and we'd either agree to disagree or continue the discussion/debate until one person agreed with the other. So, having had that example, that's how I try to live my life today. I'm not the diplomat that my dad is so I usually throw some name-calling into the debate but I feel that I try to stay open minded. I also learned that I'm better off not sharing my opinion on a topic that I'm ignorant on. I've been thrown under the bus a few times for doing that so it's best if I keep my mouth shut when I'm not educated on the subject.
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion even if the rest of the world disagrees with them. As my mom says, "Let's agree to disagree and disagree agreeably."
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