It's not part of MY path,
So it MUST be wrong!

Doesn't it drive you nuts, or even hurt when someone tells you your wrong for believing, thinking, or worshipping something/someone? Because "only a fool would think that X is anything like Y, the two are completely different!" or "I roll my eyes anytime anyone says that".

So let's take statements like this apart. Essentially a person is trying to tell you that you are wrong. By feeling it's their place to say this, then they either think that they are both right, and an authority on the matter, or they are just some dummy looking for something to say. Since the second of those two is self-destructive (and in the long-term, self-correcting), let's look at the first.

Now when people believe they are an authority on a matter, often they get this in-built desire to correct anyone who they think is wrong. Whether it be based on some idiotic notion of "I'm not going to let someone sit there saying WRONG things!" because that's a terrible crime, being wrong, how dare they commit such a crime! We must go around arresting and burning all "Wrong" people one some giant Pyre of Wood! How long until the next burning man?

Starts to sound prety silly when I exadurate it like that sure, but why only if I exadurate it? In reality many people are constantly doing this, thinking it's their Right as a human being, their priviledge as an egotist who refuses to admit they are an egotist, and their soverign duty as an expert of [insert topic here], to correct every living soul who ever says anything thast is wrong or that disagrees with their personal view.

Well, ok, so we have some nuts out there who think it's their place to spew garbage everywhere. And then we have people who spew more garbage, while telling the first person that their garbage was improperly sorted. It's it just beautiful? *facepalm*. But there isn't too much to do about this. But I wanted to zero in on one aspect that really pushes me, that really makes me wonder if people are even thinking at all, or are just spewing random words that have had enough luck to form a coherrant sentance...

How is it, that if another person isn't following the exact same religious path as you, that you can tell them what is true, and what is false? Anyone who claims to know everything about their own path is fooling themselves, but to try to correct others on their own spiritual path, is akin to me trying to tell you "No no, yesterday you weren't thinking about that, you were thinking about this". It's bad enough trying to tell people what to think, but to try to tell them that their personal path, that only they walk, that is riddled with their beliefs (and not yours) is wrong... Have you the BRAIN WORMS!?!

What's more, I'm not simply referring to people outright saying "Witchcraft is satan worship, you need to grow up and stop doing that childish crap". No I'm also talking about people who can't understand the difference between "Fey don't exist" and "I don't believe in Fey". It's shocking the number of people who think those two are the same thing. Oh they can define the "Dictionary differences" between the terms, but if they don't believe in a thing, then they tell other people there is no such thing. It doesn't exist, "And how dare you belive in such a foolish concept!"

For example, I don't believe in Scientology. I don't believe that some alien lord Xenu sent us all in airplane style spaceships as sould from a distant planet to be trapped in a volcano here on earth. I also realize that this description I just gave may not be exactly what they do really believe. I could be wrong about their view, I could be wrong about Xeno too! I strongly doubt it, but I am free to believe or not believe anything I choose. But for me to go to a Scientologist, look them in the eye and tell them "You F--king idiot! How can you believe that Bull$#--", That would say a lot more about me than it would about them. It would say that I am in fact, the "F--king idiot!".

Oh, and it get's worse. There are people out there, who actually have convinced themselves, in their own egotistical mannor, that NOT spewing all over others how they are "WRONG" would mean that they don't have a backbone, or that constantly beating other people down is actually some "Good thing". This surprises me, as this is not only counter-intuitive, illogical, and the intellectual equivalent of jumping off a cliff while hoping an upside-down beer cup will act like a parachute... But it also requires one to be somewhat malevolant. You can't care about another person, truely, and think it's your place to constantly correct what they choose to believe. If someone really thinks that is ok, then what freedoms do they believe a person SHOULD be allowed to have? None?

There is one counter-point I've heard thousands of times. This being Freedom of Speech. The argument is "Yes we are free to believe what we will, we are also free to say what we will". Oh really? Well let me point out a few laws that circumvent "Free speech", Confidentiality contracts/clauses, Gag orders, and Trade secret law are three prime examples of "you are NOT allowed to say anything you want". There is also Slandor, false advertising, and so on, Many laws say no you can't say just anything you want. Ok fine, let's put the laws away for a moment, forget they exist, so what other reasons is this a bad idea?

If you are constantly opening your mouth to beat other people down for being "Wrong", your not going to look "Smart" or "Correct", your going to look like a a bit of a Nazi. Now there are many out there who really don't care, they think it's fun, or OK, or worse, they think it's GOOD that they are constantly beating others down, because they can come up with one example of a friend who they do this to, whom it has somehow, mysteriously helped them, or because they think anyone who doesn't like it is some wuss with no backbone, but if you do this to them, suddently they are that wuss with no backbone, and your the ass for it. They say it's "Different" from when they were the one who was doing it. (When in fact, it's almost exactly the same)

So do I think that Free Speech is wrong? That it should be abolished? Hell no! I still don't believe that a Government should be allowed to chose what we can and cannot say. But at the same time, I think it's even less intelligent to think that freedom of speech is a good defence in one's attempts to defeat your freedom to believe what you wish to.

So what then, Why else do people think it's ok to beat others down for being "Wrong". "Well, if I don't correct them, then they might teach others these wrong ideas". So? Have they not the right to teach? If not, what gives YOU the right and not them? Is it ok because a number of other people have agreed your right? I'm sure they can find others who agree with them. Is it OK because some "Official" group has OK'd your beliefs? Do you match this official group exactly? What makes them Official in the first place, and what does it matter? Who says they are official? What makes them so important? Are you certain that the person you are correcting can't find some official body, or group that agrees with them?

With aspects of spirituality, and religeon, we can't really "KNOW" much. We can understand history? Well who's word are we taking on said history? historians, religious leaders, all people, who MAY have agendas. In fact all we know, we either learn ourselves (and forget that what works for us may not be the same as another) or from others (and forget that what we learn from others may not be accurate).

So the next time someone tells you that what you believe is wrong, or the next time you feel the need to correct someone else on what they believe, stop for a moment to think, Even if you are right, and they are wrong in your path, could you be wrong one in their path?

Regards,
DigitalMagick

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