When people think of the word “different,â€? people usually think of situations akin to color among gray, or to sound among silence. People don’t normally peg the different ones to be, so long as they aren’t very different. And when they do, their collective reactions more often than not range from the disinterested, to the actively antagonistic. It is in this stigma towards those who dare to break from the mold of same-ish-ness that I find a severe lacking of just. People won’t be the same as you- so what? I believe that people as free individuals should be allowed to live how they wish.

Within reason, of course. I am by no means advocating such daft behavior as anarchy or rebellion against the law. I mean in a more abstract sense- one can choose to be Christian, so much as they can choose to be Mormon, so much as they can choose to be any other religion, or lack thereof. The same goes for those who identify as homosexual- these are simple ideals that other people have. You can’t change that they have them, and are powerless to stop them from living how they wish.

Take the former instance, for example- I, for one, am an atheist. I strive not to bother people with the details and also don’t dismiss those who have faith that they’re hopelessly misguided individuals, like others of my “un-faith,â€? and I get along just fine. I’m not living in any better or worse condition to my peers, and yet even my family has to bring up a big deal about how unfaithful I am. They’re all badgering me about not having faith in this “Godâ€? person I’ve heard so much about, calling me ‘really dumb’ or ‘ungrateful’ for simply not believing that there is a magical bearded man in the sky who grants wishes.

If the previous passage offends you, you have my apology, but that is (in a nutshell) my stance on religion as a whole. I’m not calling it stupid, but people calling me stupid for not paying any mind to it, is.

Because as stated before, I should be let to believe what I want to believe, and have a lifestyle that I want to have- calling someone immoral or a sod for preferring cats over dogs or a Lamborghini to a Porsche is what I liken to someone putting down the Jewish or so for just thinking how they do.

People are entitled to their thoughts and ideas. They might not be positive ideas, seeing as terrorists and felons exist, but they are still allowed to act on their ideals whether or not they take the ramifications that come as a result into consideration. Your mind is your sanctuary- and you shouldn’t let anyone or anything threaten to take that away from you.