Wednesday, April 19, 2006

The Right To Disagree

TODAY'S QUOTE:
The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with.
Eleanor Holmes Norton, American Congresswoman

People cannot always agree, and think just how boring it would be if they always did. At first glance that may seem like a negative, but it really is not so much of a bad thing as we like to imagine. Simply parroting other peoples opinions would be little better than having no opinion of your own worth stating or defending. Be glad we are not always like-minded.
Disagreements are normal, but difficulties do often arise over the way it is done. No right minded person can really believe that shoving your beliefs down someone else's throat will change their mind. What someone gently rebels against when it is stated at a whisper, they will flat-out revolt against if bellowed.
Each of us has the right to think as we choose. We all have the right to state our beliefs, live them, and defend them. What we do not have the right to do is force feed others into sharing our unique slant on them. If we challenge someone else's right to their own opinion we compromise our own, making it an important exercise to defend the rights of all to protect the rights of all.

THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
CLICK ON TITLE TO VISIT
SISTERHOOD SUPPORT

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. "
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."
So, my friend, why not take a while to just simply RELAX. Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while. Life is short. Enjoy it! Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. T he more you have, the longer you live.
* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
* We could learn a lot from crayons...Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.