Opinions can be expressed without showing disrespect to others

By Lethbridge Herald on October 19, 2022.

Editor:

As I’ve watched and listened to world events near and far over the last few years, I’ve tried hard to make sense of it all. 

In my 75+ years on this earth, I don’t recall a time when people seem so far apart and sometimes downright nasty when it concerns their personal views of how things should be. 

We can probably place some blame on social media feeds and people trying to sort out factual information and what can be determined as disinformation.

What leads some down one path and others down a completely different path is not the purpose of this letter. I’ve concluded that many of us have reached a point where we are unwilling to accept views, beliefs, or behaviours from others that differ from our own. 

Perhaps if each one of us as individuals did a little soul-searching, we could lift each other up instead of constantly tearing down.

 We could try and have quiet conversations and listen to each other’s points of view. Here are a few examples: Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, that is an individual choice. Neither side needs to scream and shout at the other side to try and make a point. 

To accept vaccines or not to get vaccines? Again, individual choice. No need to yell and scream at the other side or have disruptive convoys. Christian? Jewish? Islamic? Atheist? Each to their own, I say. Again, no name-calling or accusations are necessary.

Choose what is best for you and your beliefs, and leave others with different views than your own alone. Hate will never solve anything and only drives a further wedge between us. 

Justin Trudeau is our Prime Minister. Don’t like him? Under our democratic system, he was voted in fair and squarely. Next election, we will have our say again. Danielle Smith is now the Premier of Alberta. We will all get the choice on the 29th of May, 2023, to vote on whether she stays or goes, so in the meantime, we have to accept this reality.

 In conclusion, I’d like to make one more point: Although we should all be entitled to our opinions, breaking laws, disregarding rules and regulations, and physically or mentally harming others through our actions should never be acceptable.

 We are supposed to be the intelligent lifeforms on this planet. Let’s start acting like it! The preceding is my personal opinion. Others may disagree.

Doug Cameron

Lethbridge