Something I feel strongly about

I have a low tolerance for intolerance.. If that makes sense.

Yesterday I was at the grocery and there was a little boy a couple of aisles over from me that was not happy. He had obviously had it and his mom was doing her best to calm him down. She was done shopping, was checking out, and had another boy with her. This is how the conversation with my cashier went:

Me: "She has more patience than me. I just take my kids home because I can't handle it."

Cashier: "Well, it's amazing what some people will let their kids get away with."

Me: "Yeah, but sometimes kids just throw fits and you can't really control it."

Cashier: "You can if you teach them it's wrong from the start. You just don't let them act like that. I raised five kids and none of them acted like that."

Me: "It's probably just the terrible twos. I think most kids go through it."

Cashier: "Mine didn't. I raised five kids. It's not like I don't know what I'm talking about."

This is when I bit my tongue. First of all, how exactly do you control a two-year-old? Second of all, who does this lady think she is? The kid could have been sick. He could have been tired or hungry. The point is, she had no clue. I have found that most of the cashiers at this particular store are pretty blunt (I prefer the word rude), but this kind of thing makes me want to scream.

And there you have the topic of this blog: something I feel strongly about. Why are people so quick to judge things that they know nothing about? It's something I have never been able to wrap my head around. Are you that unhappy with your own life that you can't accept people for who they are? If you can't accept them, at least just keep your mouth shut. You sound bitter and insecure. It's no secret that I am one of the most liberally-minded people probably ever, but acceptance should be a human characteristic, NOT a liberal one. If you feel the need to judge someone out loud, think about this:

1. You don't know them. You don't know their situation. You don't know ANYTHING other than what you're seeing at that very moment.

2. You're not perfect. Get off your high horse and calm down.

3. You get one life. One. Do you really want to spend it degrading other people?

What's even more pathetic than the conversation I had with this cashier is when people dedicate their entire Facebook to talking smack about other people. This just makes me think that they are so unhappy with themselves that they have to point out others' flaws to feel better. Please don't use social media to spread hate and intolerance.

I'm big on acceptance. You don't have to like everyone. You don't have to hang out and be friends with them, but for pete's sake, you can't change them. So just accept it and move on!

This goes for everyone and everything. You parent differently than me? Cool! As long as you take care of your kids, I applaud you. Whatever works. You're super religious? Awesome! We all see the world differently. You're a Republican? Fantastic! Exercise your right to vote. You're gay? Great! Love is love. I absolutely do not care what you do with your own life because it's your life. I don't understand why people can't comprehend this. I have a cousin who is the exact opposite of me. We couldn't be more different.. Our solution? We put our differences aside and ACCEPT each other! We know each other, and we know that deep down we're both good people regardless of our choices and viewpoints in life. We get along great because of this. (Love ya, Jeremy!)

Look, we all make those quick judgments, especially ones we keep to ourselves; however, it is absolutely, positively NOT okay to blatantly criticize how others live their lives or tell them that they are somehow living their lives wrong. I'm not saying we all have to be perfect, but as H. Jackson Brown, Jr. once said, "Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others."