"The Better Angels of Our Nature" - Anxiety and Depre...

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"The Better Angels of Our Nature"

6 years ago•1 Reply

Hi one and all! Brian here. I've decided to create this new thread to respond to all the replies from the thread I posted early this afternoon. I want to start by stating that I live in the United States and while I may not be proud of is happening here, I am still proud that I am American. At the same time, I am also proud of my heritage. I am part-Irish, part-German and half-English. I am proud of who I am and where I originate from. Having lived in the shadow of Washington for 30 years (from my birth in 1975 until 2005, when I moved north to New Hampshire), as well as having both of my parents work for the federal government, I am well aware of and used to hearing political rhetoric and differing viewpoints from all sides of the political spectrum, and to varying degrees of civility. One of the things I was raised believing in is to respect everyone's opinions, whether I agree with them or not. I will go on treating everyone I meet with dignity and respect and I honestly don't care what race, creed, skin color, religious/spiritual/philosophical belief or sexual/gender orientation you are. You are my peers, and I would like to think, my friends. It is our differences that can bind us together peacefully. I am loathe to share my opinions, but since many of you have shared yours, it is time I shared mine.

I want to make it clear, before I state my opinions, that they are mine and mine alone. I am not trying to force or coerce others into believing what I believe. I am merely stating my opinions as a matter of public record, no more and no less.

No, I do not think President Trump is doing a good job.

No, I do not think President Trump is making America great.

I believe in doing my own research and consulting multiple impartial sources before forming an opinion.

I believe is listening to the opinions of others, whether I agree or not.

I do not believe in engaging in bullying, verbal assault or defaming people who disagree with me (even though it can be tempting at times. But that is part of being human.)

I am strongly opposed to any person or group or organization who attempts to forcibly impose their beliefs or opinions on me.

I believe it is our right, nay, our duty to question those in power at all times and to hold those in authority accountable for their actions.

I believe that we will never completely agree on everything. And even when we do agree, we may agree for differing reasons.

I believe that the Constitution of the United States must apply to everyone or it means nothing. (That is, of course, assuming you live in the United States. If you do not, then the same must apply to your country's version of the Constitution.)

Those are some of my beliefs and opinions. Whether you agree with me or not, I would ask that you at the very least respect the fact they are my opinions, just as you would ask me to respect your opinions. I have no political affiliation or any ties to any special interest groups or lobby groups as I personally feel that they cause more harm than good in the long term. If you agree with me, that's fine. If you disagree with me, that's fine too. I'm ok with it either way. The only time I would have a problem is if you attempt to forcibly impose your belief system on me or engage in bullying, verbal abuse/assault, or other methods of denigration or intimidation. And if anyone, whether it is here in this community or in real life, attempts to engage in that kind of attitude towards me or my friends, there will be consequences. I am not threatening or warning anyone. I am merely stating a fact. That is something I believe many people in the world have forgotten. Cause and effect. Every choice you make or action you take carries consequences.

In closing, I want to state that I will not bring up this topic again here on the forum. If you wish to discuss this topic further with me, please feel free to private message me and we can have as lively a discussion as you please. I would also like to remind everyone that this is supposed to be a forum for supporting and helping (to the best of our abilities) those who feel as if they have no place else to go or anyone in their lives they can talk to. To those who replied to my previous thread, I admire and respect you all for sharing your views and I appreciate all the well wishes that were sent my way. We must also remember that some members can be triggered by the way we talk or the words we use. As I have shared in other forum posts recently: