The Dying Idea of ‘Live and let live’
Who in life thinks others have an obligation to accept them? I certainly never did, even when I was at my fattest. Yes, I encountered hatred and plenty of ugly behavior. Some people were verbally cruel and I lost jobs. Did I ever believe I should take them to court in attempt to force them to like me?
Or maybe, like a story in Colorado this month, they ought to be forced to bake me a cake? Since some bureaucrats have confered upon themselves the power to restrict the size of the soda you can buy and in light of the growing social acceptability of hating fat people, (especially by ‘tolerance activists’) we are well on our way to seeing bakers restricted from baking a cake for a customer who is deemed unacceptably fat. Meanwhile, people ought to be forced to bake you one if you are in a politically acceptable group! (Editor’s note: The case of Masterpiece Cake Shop is going to the Supreme Court.) Both are ridiculous and threaten the most precious of things. That which you’d think all groups would treasure: Freedom.
I have always loved non-conformists. They have the courage to go their own way, regardless of others’ approval. They often blaze new trails. Sometimes they persuade others and sometimes they learn from the reactions they receive. How silly would it be for those people to spend their time forcing others to approve of how individualistic they are?
Just as I have feared, the trend of using force to make others live, think and behave as an “elite” group of bureaucrats and special interest groups demand, is growing. Not too long ago, a popular bumper sticker said, “If you don’t like abortion, don’t have one.” It never said, “If you don’t like abortion, I’m going to force you to like it anyway.” It pains me to state something so obvious but apparently, there are those who have forgotten: I must protect your free will to disagree, disapprove and/or dismiss even something which I love, so that I can protect my freedom to do the same.