It's shocking to see "those snowflakes" - "libtards" - and other similar slurs from people who have at some time, told me they loved me - from people I love. They know me well enough to know that I have very different views from them, and yes, I know they label me liberal. Do they call me, think of me, when they use those labels?
It causes me to pause.
Do they believe, do I, view them through similar filters?
It causes me to pause.
It causes me to be more cautious in what I say and do. It's policy and practice that matters. If we allow ourselves to be calloused and hardened to perspectives other than ours, we can learn nothing. We learn nothing when we label and isolate "others". We learn nothing when we stubbornly hold onto any ideology. We don't know, what we don't know and we won't if we cannot learn to communicate civilly, Or to simply learn to communicate policy and practice that makes sense to the other person.
It causes me to pause and be more cautious.
I most value my conservative friends who are able to provide information that demonstrates policy and practice that has a track record of success. These are the people who simply communicate what makes sense and what makes sense needs no label - conservative or liberal.
I find little to no value in the label throwers on either side. They are simply throwing spears that make no difference in the world except to raise mistrust and create greater division.
Call a falsehood, a falsehood. Site sources. Communicate policy and practice that makes sense. Quit with the spear throwing. We have work to do. Support people who understand that and hold higher standards. We need high standards right now. It starts with us.
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ReplyDeletehe other day, someone suggested that I not use my nickname because it has a bad message attached to it...My reply was one snowflake is cute and fluffy; many makes a blizzard. I think this folk tale says it best... not sure of the author but it was submitted by Tom Sudds).
ReplyDeleteThe Weight of a Snowflake
“Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a coal-mouse asked a wild dove.
“Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer.
“In that case, I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coal-mouse said.
“I sat on the branch of a fir, close to its trunk, when it began to snow – not heavily, not in a raging blizzard – no, just like in a dream, without a wound and without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,742,952. When the 3,742,953rd dropped onto the branch, nothing more than nothing, as you say – the branch broke off.”
Having said that, the coal-mouse flew away.
The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on the matter, thought about the story for a while, and finally said to herself, “Perhaps there is only one person’s voice lacking for peace to come to the world.”
Feel free to call me Snowflake...I'm light, fluffy and cool!!! And if I need to be, I will be THAT voice that will change the world.
In being a Libertarian I get accused of being conservative by one side and liberal by the other. I think I have the best of both worlds and see both sides. My observation is that each side sees important things that the other side does not see or understand. I think the media and public education is responsible for creating this divide. History is written by the winners. I think it takes quite a bit of digging to get to real truth and even then it is not popular because it might cast dispersion on people you hold up. I don't care for political parties because they divide people. Government is needed in limited areas and when it overreaches and enslaves we should not be fighting among ourselves it should be us united against a runaway government. Freedom is the most important thing.
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