I Need To Be Better Than That.

 I can sit here... and I write... and the things I write may or may not have influence upon other people. It really doesn't matter. I don't blog for others... I blog just so that I can get out those things in my head that I might not be able to express elsewhere.... well... without stirring up a major argument, anyway. The nice thing about my blogging is that people have a choice about reading it... and if they agree or disagree... it doesn't really matter. That's what I try to base my attitude and actions on... I am the one who stands responsible for what I say and do... just as others have to account for their actions.... and for the most part... that should have little to no effect on me. We all have attitudes, opinions... and yes.. even judgements... even though we have no right to violate the rights of others, there is no way we can go without forming those opinions and judgements... not only concerning other people, but also about everything we come in contact with. The problem exists when we choose to try to tear down others just because of a conflict in attitudes or disagreements.. Do I believe in God? ...Of course I do... do I form opinions of other people based on my beliefs?... again, Yes! ....but do my opinions matter in that circumstance.  Nope.. not at all.. I can create and defend my belief system.. and what I think about things and people all I want... but it shouldn't make any difference to them. I'm just a guy... I can only be held accountable to myself... just as others can only be held accountable to the their beliefs... I have a belief that I should obey the laws of the land... but at some point in the future... that could become convoluted. The norms of our society change from year to year... Back when I was a teen, we would gather in the parking lot after school and show off our vehicles.. and guns... and no one thought anything of having a gun on school property... that doesn't mean it is okay to do that now... our society has lost a lot of its basic fundamental core structure. I was sometimes made fun of when I was growing up... and it was the right of others to try and make me feel smaller or of less worth that I was... but it made me stronger... I learned to discover who I was and to put aside those thoughts and actions of those who didn't matter in my life. I was able to determine who mattered and who didn't based on the positive or negative support in my life. Those that supported me were welcome to become a part of my life, where those who caused conflict were shut out... and it has remained that way even to this day. I have gotten to a point where I feel pity for those who can't provide a positive support for those around them, but I can't change them... and I don't want to change people who don't want the change. I will always put aside the petty differences that the past holds... that doesn't say that I don't learn from them... but I've become a strong enough person to be who I am... let others be who they are... and accept them for that... that doesn't mean I have to allow them influence, but to me, it means accepting the fundamental fact that there are human beings that make mistakes... just as I've made more than my share. I will never be the type of person that holds on those mistakes to shove them in the face of those who made them... I hope that I'm always able to see each individual for an soul, independent of the chains of the past that drag them down. I keep my eyes open... but for me to tear down someone for things that have long passed... or even recently passed.. is wrong in my eyes. I won't hold on to things that will rot and fester inside my heart... it makes me violate my basic principles to do so. I need to be better than that.