Trending Now ~ Intolerant of Tolerance

Greetings Dear Reader,

My pen stroke is broad today.  I do not think that there is any group that does not trend toward this particular problem.  Well, there are extremes that avoid it but they are the exceptions that prove the rule. 

I had already chosen this topic for today.  Avalon and I happened to discuss it deeply last night.  We agree that this is a problem that plagues every group and not just this conservative or that liberal one.  We claim that we are tolerant of those who are different from us and the trend is not to judge, be prejudice, and tolerate hate. 

There is nothing wrong with those things.  I think that we are lying to ourselves.  I think we claim we are tolerant but we hold out exceptions because there is that one group or sect that we make the exception and outwardly disavow.  There is also the idea that we think our ideas are right and that is the end of it.

We are not supposed to tolerate anyone.  I submit that tolerance is intolerant.  When someone says to you, “Hey, I like your coat!”, should our response ever be, “Hey, I tolerate yours”?  We need to get over the idea that being tolerant is a good thing.  It is not because we should be tolerant.  It is because we must be much more.

The trend is to be tolerant of everyone.  Let me say some things about what I am required to be and we can go from there.  I am not allowed to be simply tolerant.  I am supposed to actively, practically, and inclusively love every human there is.  It goes far beyond tolerance.  The requirement is to sacrifice and to love.  The demand is to see every life as precious and worthy of my love and God’s. 

Further, I am required to love with this depth and intensity without compromising my own standards.  I think this is how the tolerance trend began.  In place of love or hate, we put tolerance.  We construct something bland that we can social signal whilst nursing our rejection and judgment under its summer parasol.  The problem is our parasol cannot shield us from the thunderstorm of conflict that has risen because of the intolerance we still carry.

The storm of difficulties exists because in our failure to love we have believed that lie that if we feel something is wrong then we must hate those who live in that wrong.  That is not how anything is going to work.  It is not how love ever works.  Love is never tolerant because that is condescending.  Oh, and in case you wonder why I do not get down to real examples, it is because I will offend someone because I either did or did not use their pet example. 

I know what I believe about right and wrong.  I know that some of those things will cause others to hate, sideline, discount, or tolerate me just because I do not agree with the popular or trending thought on their issue.   I will try to choose a neutral way to make my point.  There are people out there who think it is WRONG to put pineapple on pizza.  It happens to be one of my favorite pizza toppings.  Paired with bacon or ham and slivered almonds, it is my favorite full stop.

Now, I would not deny healthcare, social status, or human rights to anyone who hates pineapple on pizza or hates me because of my love for it.  I would go further and say that I will love and demonstrate that love to anyone no matter their pizza topping identification choices.  I might even buy him or her a pizza. 

Tolerance is trending but it cannot sustain.  It is not what we are meant to do Dear Reader.  It is instead, our obligation to love deeply every human that exists.  There is no room for simple tolerance or half measures.  If you would like to discuss it further, I will buy the pizza.  You can get yours with whatever toppings you choose.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Captains Courageous - Tolerance

Greetings Dear Reader,

"There's a difference between respecting the spiritual beliefs of other cultures and embracing them myself." – Katherine Janeway – Voyager: Sacred Ground

Do we really consider that there are things that are not acceptable to even consider?  I am not advocating for thought police or denoting that things spring to mind that we have to fend off just because of our nature. 

I am going to use an absurd example.  What I am saying is that it is wrong for me to consider for a moment that it is allowable to think that we should kill someone because the toenail on his or her pinky toe is too small.  Like I said, absurd.  But replace the pinky toe example with something real in your mind. 

There are people who believe that other people should be killed because of their beliefs.  This too is absurd.  Both sides of our deeply divided nation contain factions that embrace this notion.  Then there are those who scream for tolerance unless you embrace something which they will not tolerate.

The deep vein of truth here is that I do not have to agree with you or embrace your beliefs as valid to be good and kind to you.  I do not have to agree that every idea has merit to love those who hold those ideas. 

There are ideas that I find heinous.  There are beliefs that I think absolutely wrong.  It is an error to think that disagreement is rejection of the person.  It is a lie to think that I have to agree with everything you think and believe to love you and treat you with respect.

Those who require us to do so cause great division in the name of tolerance.  They violate the very standards they profess.  Their pleas for tolerance are intolerant. 

I am not permitted to treat anyone in an unloving way.  I do not agree with every belief or position others hold.  I do strive to love everyone.  I will respect your beliefs and values.  I will not always agree.  I will love you and be kind to you.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Penny and Pound ~ Intolerant Inclusion

Greetings Dear Reader,

It seems that both the right and the left have a blind spot that I am not sure how to heal.   They both seem to demand that if I side with their side on anything that I must side with their side on everything.  When I offer a penny, each side demands a pound.

Some of these arguments for consistency are logical.  I cannot want equality in an area without wanting it for all humans.  I cannot speak of the value of life without speaking to the value of every life.  Where the demand for pounds over pennies confounds me is in the assumption of cross-pollination of values.  

My faith does not allow me to accept every position of either side.  I cannot claim to follow Christ and accept hatred of any kind.   I cannot promote violence and follow the Prince of Peace.   I cannot worship the Father and allow the slaughter of children. 

It is my experience, however, that both sides demand that I follow in the extreme no matter how illogical the position becomes.  To bolster this untenable dichotomy false syllogisms are created.  It is assumed that because I disagree on a point that I disagree on all points.   In the inverse if I support either side’s position on a single point it is assumed that I support it on all points. 

I can oppose the murder of the unborn without feeling that women should have less rights than men.  I can believe that all people should have access to quality affordable healthcare without being a communist. 

What I must do is follow Christ no matter who it offends.  As with so many things the demands of both sides make no room for the things that are reasonable.  The truth is often somewhere in the middle.  I must seek Christ and the truth no matter what the cost; penny or pound.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What Do You Fear? ~ Intolerance

Greetings Dear Reader,

In a popular Star Trek episode from the Original Series, “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” two aliens with vast power are fighting across the cosmos.  They are battling over their insurmountable differences.  The fight has been so fierce that they have destroyed their entire world and are the last two living members of their species.  Their difference is the cause of all the destruction.  Their faces are half black and half white.  The difference one is white on the left and the other on the right.

In continuing with thoughts on my friend’s response I realize that I have covered change. What my friend brought out though is the intolerance of society for unpopular differences.  It does not matter what the difference is.

This fear is as old as history.  We are intolerant of things we do not fear, understand, or accept.  We translate differences to discrimination.  We use the things we reject to reject people and think ourselves superior.  We put our values ahead of treating other with love and respect.

Even those who proclaim that tolerance is the only way to live are often intolerant of those who disagree.  The world continues to spin on battles over values.  Hatred and anger seem to be the most popular things given to those with whom we disagree.  I share the same fear as my friend.

I do my best to follow Christ without hating anyone.  Still I am mocked for things that I feel are wrong.  I am accused of fear, hatred, and bigotry for having standards.  So many do not see that those standards include love for everyone.  They include kindness to everyone.  Because I carry the label they have assigned to those who share my faith.  I will not hide what I believe but I honestly think that we all need a reset button. 

Perhaps everyone needs to really remember what tolerance means.  It does not mean that I accept all of your values or opinions.  It does mean that I love and respect you.  It does not mean that I hate you because I disagree with you.  It does mean that I will support the fact that we share common needs that should be provided for.

So tell me again why your philosophy allows you to hate me?

Which Way are You Goin’ – Jim Croce

Which way are you going, which side will you be on

Will you stand and watch while, all the seeds of hate are sown

Will you stand with those who say, let his will be done

One hand on the bible

One hand on the gun

One hand on the bible

One hand on the gun

Which way are you looking, is it hard to see

Do you say whats wrong for him, is not wrong for me

You walk the streets, righteousness but you refuse to understand

You say you love the baby

Then you crucify the man

You say you love the baby

Then you crucify the man

Everyday, things are changing, words once honored turned to lies

People wondering, can you blame them

Its to far to run, and to late to hide

Now you turn your back on, all the things that you used to preach

Now its let him live in freedom, if he lives like me

Well you light has changed, confusion rains, what have you become

All your olive branches turned to spears

When your flowers turned to guns

Your olive branches turned to spears

When your flowers turned to guns

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Everything I needed to Know – IDIC

Greetings Dear Reader,

The Vulcan philosophy of IDIC is one that I have understood long before I understood the idea of Christ and following him.   IDIC is infinite diversity in infinite combinations.  It is the idea that each life is unique and is valuable for that uniqueness. 

Since I believe that every soul is a unique creation of the Father’s this makes every life has unique value to me.  I am not allowed to devalue an enemy, an adversary, nor even a detractor.  I choose to live this by choosing to love everyone. 

I do not have to like someone’s choices and values to love them.  I do not have to agree with someone to love him or her.  I do not hate anyone because I find what he does to be wrong.  Because I choose to love everyone does not mean that I accept all of their values or condone all of their actions.

It does mean that every life is precious.  Every pain and sorrow matters.  Every injustice impacts me.  Every death diminishes me.  Christ followers who dismiss any other life as less than precious are not following Christ.  It is in the diversity that we see the great creativity of the Father. 

 It is the obligation of all who follow Christ to embrace that the Father has created all lives to be held in love and value.  It is my duty to love and value everyone.  It is my joy to see and learn the diversity in the lives of others. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)