So tired of it. SO tired. "Hey maybe if I bash someone's figurative face in on facebook they'll come around to my way of thinking," says the random conservative/democrat/libertarian/etc. Yeah that'll work for sure. I know when someone tries to utterly humiliate me in public by saying what I think is the dumbest thing they've ever heard it totally makes me change my mind. "Hey you're an idiot unless you vote for my guy", or "Hey you're a baby-murderer unless you vote for my guy", or "Hey you're a communist unless you vote for my guy", are all examples of loving comments from people of opposing views trying to "win over" converts. Yeah that'll work for sure guys, and the same goes for people in any religion. If you show someone love they will most likely love you back. If you scream at someone, "You're going to hell!", they're probably going to politely suggest you do the same. Yes, there is a place for the teaching of what you consider to be truth, but why don't we start by trying to win my respect first. The most challenging times in my life were when someone I respected questioned what I was doing or believing. The least challenging times in my life are when some "enlightened" person on facebook lets me know how everything I believe is garbage.
I started listening to talk radio when I was in my early twenties, and immediately I started to realize I was the smartest person on the planet and I needed to let everyone else know. I ranted and raved constantly about this or that liberal moron who deserved to no longer exist just because of what they believed. The enemy of whatever fleeting passion I had at the moment was less than human to me, and I treated them that way. Well that worked out really great for my witness as a believer in Jesus let me tell you. I won over SO many converts by yelling at them during heated political "discussions." So many times I was ready to use my mouth to spew hatred, when all along I am claiming to believe in a religion of love. I had found a new religion, "conservatism."
Now on to what I learned during my idiocy. Obama was elected and we didn't all die, and still haven't. Many liberals are very good people who misunderstand the party they think is representing them. I still think liberalism is not right, but that's my business, not theirs. If someone wants to discuss something with me, I will try to be as open-minded as I can be without compromising my core beliefs. I still watch politics like a hawk, and if there is an issue I deem worth my time to fight for or against, I do my best to in ways that are effective. I realized that facebook is not the place for politics. Now for the fatal blow to the whole deal...EVERY side is biased. Every ad, every article, every comment, every show, all of them, will be biased towards one side or the other and skew the facts favorably toward their belief. Here's where I messed up years ago. I did not question. I swallowed every pill that was fed to me by my party. It took a long time, many different people and a very big God to move me into a place of love for my fellow human being, and I am very sorry for those people I may have hurt in the process. I am probably exaggerating my offenses, for most were in my heart, but this is just as bad. I know my attitude at that point in my life, and it disgusts me.
With all this being said, it bugs the crap out of me to see people making the same mistakes I have made in my past. I do have one simple solution...stop. Seriously, stop. Its annoying the crap out of everyone around you I promise. Shut up, educate yourself with facts, discuss calmly when the opportunity arises, and realize that God still loves you even if you're a jerk sometimes like I was.
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