So what you're saying is that you have no respect for other people's beliefs? You could just as easily reverse your statement and state that just because a cross means nothing to you doesn't mean it doesn't mean a great deal to one of your friends or family or indeed anyone else. If you say that you don't 'care' about other people's views and beliefs then not only is that ignorant and indeed arrogant, but if everyone adopted that view- how on earth would the world work?
Ok, first I want to open up with a vocabulary less. Ignorant means that you are lacking knowledge of some sort. Arrogance, in a nut shell, means placing yourself above all others and believing that everything is always all about you. Not caring about the religions of others is not necesarily a sign of ignorance or arrogance. It's a sign of apathy. IT COULD mean I am arrogant, and that is why I don't care. But it's not neccesarily a cause/effect relationship. Also, not caring about other religions could LEAD to ignorance, but one does not neccesarily follow the other. Now that we've cleared that up... we can move to a more important point....
Your argument is very valid (why is it that the two british people - kev and rosie - consistently give me the most rational arguments?), but still flawed
Not believing the same things as another person is not the same as not respecting that other person.
Hmmm..... not clear... must rephrase.
If I believed that the color red was sacred... would you stop wearing it? What if 5 million people believed that the color red was sacred?
(..... intuitive leeeeeeeeeeeeap...)
I greatly respect the views and beliefs of other people. So much so that I am willing to argue about them (People who don't care, don't argue, they just point and laugh). But respecting another person's opinions is different from being shackled by them.
Why should my life be impeeded by YOUR beliefs? Is that fair? Now, if a close friend of mine is Jewish and asks me not to wear a star of david out.... i will do so out of respect for my friend. but even then I have an option. I could stop being friends with that person and do it anyways. I must decide what is more valuable; this specific personal freedom or my friendship.
(.... ANOTHER LEAP...... everyone still with me?)
Do you eat beef? Are you aware that BILLIONS of people consider Cow's sacred and won't eat them? How many other people here eat beef? Most I would wager.
(........ it's just a jump to the left? ...... )
You can't respect everyone's opinions all the time. The only person you can always respect is yourself. Do what your own beliefs dictate WITHOUT impeeding on someone elses ability to do the same.
In a society, its not 'your call' or 'perogative'. Yes, you may decide what to wear daily and decide the music you listen to, the TV you watch etc but you will always take other people's opinions into account- because that is the way a civilised society works. That is, if you live in one.
Why? Why do I have to take someone elses opinion into account? Do you live in a socialist country? Do I? Why does your opinion HAVE to matter to me? Isn't my personal freedom important? So, should people NEVER disagree? God forbid that me disagreeing with someone might hurt their feelings.
Yes, I know I am being extreme, but I am doing so to make a point. The point being that as long as I am not doing something (or wearing something) with the INTENTION of offending someone else, then I should be MORALLY entitled to do or wear anything I want (notice I said morally, and not legally? Very key diff). And if someone else takes offense to it then it is a flaw in their own ability to seperate my personal freedoms from theirs. They must assume that I am wearing or doing something specifically to affect them personally? THAT is the TRUE definition of arrogance.
---Andrew
