Free Speech

I am getting extremely irritated and hurt by people who claim to believe in free speech but then ridicule me when I exercise my right. I am not promoting hate or violence, yet I have been met with hostility from people claiming to be friends. One of the things that I pride myself on is my ability to accept all people for who they are, no questions asked and I expect the same respect in return. This does not mean that I support everything that everyone I know does, just because we care about someone does not mean that we always like what they do. I sometimes struggle with the fact that while I extend this courtesy to people in my life I have been getting small seemingly subtle reminders that they don't like my ways of thinking. I am happy with the independent person that I am so I become frustrated when people who ought to know better overreact to the mention of anything that differs from their particular view of an issue or situation. There is not ALWAYS a right or wrong answer to things! There are just different ways of approaching something. Life is not merely black and white, but that's what makes life beautiful and interesting! So if you find yourself ridiculing someone because of their belief system try to remember that it is hurtful and does not help you prove your point. Maybe you should listen to other points of view, it may just strengthen your view and give you insight into someone else.