A Plea For Respect

After reading another round of "Liberals" and "Conservatives" battling it out on a myriad of topics, I am making yet another attempt to ask people to respect one another. What have we told ourselves that somehow makes it okay to insult, attack and toss out names and assumptions to those with whom we disagree? And, most shocking to me, is when is it EVER ok to wish the suffering on others, especially those with whom we have never met, have never harmed us?

We can do better. We must do better. For if there is to be a very rough patch for us to get through in the coming days, like it or not, we will have to get through it together. For if our government is going to continue to neglect our needs and the needs of nature and our infrastructure, we will have to get through this together. Left and right. And everyone in between.

Let's drop the labels. Let's stop the attacks. So someone is a liberal. Who cares? So someone watches Fox news. So what? That doesn't even come close to defining who these people are.

What I'm saying is can't we disagree and debate and still honor, value and respect one another? If we can't, we're screwed. We're truly screwed. And whether you believe your position to be right, if you are not able to respect others who hold different thoughts, you will only be a part of the problem. While I understand the anger and frustration when trying to speak to some about certain things that I may find to be so obvious...while I understand the desire to attack...I know I would rather be part of the solution.

Wouldn't you?