Morrissey said it best.

one of my favorite groups of all time are The Smiths. I think that Morrissey is one of the greatest vocalists and lyricists of all time. although many of his lyrics are not very happy or bright or inspirational, they are very powerful. he throws in some subtle humor at the right times, they are very well-crafted, and they can make you feel what he is feeling. many times, they are simple but the message behind it is very meaningful. perhaps my favorite example is from How Soon is Now

"you shut your mouth, how can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved,
just like everybody else does."

yes, this song is not a very happy song, but I love the lyrics. we are all human and we all need to be loved. sometimes, we forget that, especially in this day and age where everyone is easily offended by everything. people can't simply share their opinions or stand up for their beliefs without someone getting offended. part of this is due to overly sensitive people (maybe this video can give you an idea, it is a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point). but it can also be due to people who don't care that they are offending others, they want to make it CLEAR that they have an opinion and that everyone who agrees with it is good, and anyone who doesn't agree with it is Satan. they do this while forgetting that we are all human and we need to be loved.

now, we don't need to love everyone, all the time, but we need to show respect. one thing I would like to make clear is that RESPECT DOES NOT MEAN AGREE! I'll share a personal example here. one of my very best friends who I've known for a long time and I have completely different political beliefs. she is liberal, I am conservative. she is a registered Democrat, I am a registered Republican. she is a vegetarian, my favorite food in the whole world is steak. I'll stop there, because you get the idea. but from the day that we established that we have these different beliefs, we decided that we will not fight with each other or criticize our beliefs. only respect. I love having a liberal best friend because I am able to see multiple perspectives of the same issue. whenever we have political discussions, she shares her beliefs, and I share mine, and instead of bagging on each other for having the "wrong belief", we listen to each other and we come out of the discussion more open-minded. do I agree with her? NO! but do I respect her and enjoy hearing her different perspective? YES! will I switch political parties? NO! do I want her to switch political parties? NO!

what would the world be like if we all thought the same? if we all had the same opinion on everything? it would be boring! if we all had the same ideologies, there would be no conflict. I'm not encouraging conflict, but we wouldn't be able to be more open-minded if we weren't exposed to different perspectives!  what would be the point of opposing sports teams? the Nadal-Federer rivalry? what would be the point of competitions? different music tastes? if everyone thought the same, those things wouldn't exist! there would be no variety!

if anyone walks away with anything from this
1. stop being so offended when someone's beliefs are different than yours. they are not bad people; they are human, and they need to be loved.
2. if you must share your opinion, do it in a loving manner. of course, someone will get offended because that's how the world is. but don't say "anyone who doesn't agree with me is going to hell!" that is not being loving or respectful of humans.
3. if everyone thought the same, there would be no variety, diversity, or competition. and I believe all those things are necessary in life.
4. respect does NOT equal support or to agree!
5. I am human, and I need to be loved; just like everybody else does!

so to end this little rant, here is another quote from The Smiths, this time from I Know It's Over

"it's so easy to laugh,
it's so easy to hate,
it takes guts to be gentle and kind."

we all need to use our guts to be gentle and kind, now, don't we?

have a great day.