I accept people as they are. Warts and all, as they say. That doesn’t mean I accept everything they say as truth. I don’t require anyone to believe anything. Likewise, if they have a belief requirement for my friendship we might not be able to be friends. I have no age requirement, no weight restrictions, no charge for extra baggage, no rituals need to be performed. Friendship is not a club with membership dues. If they have opinions about me, I’ll listen. If they aren’t willing to help me understand their opinion, we might not be able to be friends. If they’re young or inexperienced with my culture, I can allow misunderstandings and will gladly provide time for us to grow together. What else could we do?
My friends and I all have similar taste in music.
I think that someone who only accepted friends who believe everything that they do, would not have many friends, unless they were all part of some indoctrinated cult or they searched them out somehow on the world wide web. I suppose that the latter is possible these days. Either way, it seems to me that it would be a rather boring insular group to be a part of.
You just described small town Northern Minnesota. I can go back to church and be part of that insulated group or hang out with some aging hippies who believe in the “power of attraction” or any variety of people who hate Monsanto or doctors or non-organic food or whatever else form of hate holds their tiny lives together. I suppose good people are hard to find anywhere, but the population center is Duluth. It has a lot going for it, but it is only 80,000, so it can only support so much variety. I could take up fishing I suppose.
Another thing to consider is never say we must earn respect. Grant you respect to all you meet and then, the only possible thing they can do with it is to lose it.
Another thing to consider is never say we must earn respect. Grant you respect to all you meet and then, the only possible thing they can do with it is to lose it.In a sense, sure. I respect all life. That sometimes includes respecting a rock or air as extensions of respecting life in all forms. But people can lose respect pretty fast, as soon as they open their mouth. "Respect" is too strong a word to just give it away.