Last year I wrote about the Tolerance bumper stickers. My sister called me today while driving, yes, I know, but it was hands free, and there were no kids in the car. She was calling again to complain about the coexist bumper stickers. I hate them as well.
Whenever you see a coexist bumper sticker, imagine a person who will donate to the humane society. This person will take in rescue dogs, cats, rabbits and small vermin to save them from the clutches of animal control authorities long enough to ensure that the animals are healthy and happy when they are put to sleep. Then they'll spend an evening raising money and awareness for Planned Parenthood to get more money to kill more babies. And after that, they might advocate on behalf of the Wicca practitioner down the street who just sacrificed the rescued cat to Baal.
You see, we can all coexist. The life I save, you can kill, because we coexist with different values. Now let's turn this around the other way.
What if I want to coexist with everyone you want to kill? What if I want to coexist with every snowflake baby given and born to families that want them? What if I want to coexist with every baby ever aborted, alive and well, and cared for.
I coexist with my family. But of course it's more than that. I coexist with my neighbors, but it's more than that. I coexist with my colleagues, but that's about it. The only reason it isn't more than that with my colleagues is because I teach at a state university, and that's about all I can tolerate with most of them.
Seriously, if we just coexist, where is the concern for our fellow man? When do we start to care about those closest to us? When do we begin to think that we are our brothers' keepers?
Let's use coexist in some sentences as we did with Tolerance:
I coexist with my son, and that is the source of our relationship.
I coexist with my sisters because they are my family and my best friends.
I coexist with my husband because he is the best man I've ever known.
I coexist with my neighbors because I care deeply about them.
I coexist with our dogs because they are loving and loyal.
I coexist with dust-bunnies because I am a lousy house-keeper.
Okay, the last one is true.
Whenever you see a coexist bumper sticker, imagine a person who will donate to the humane society. This person will take in rescue dogs, cats, rabbits and small vermin to save them from the clutches of animal control authorities long enough to ensure that the animals are healthy and happy when they are put to sleep. Then they'll spend an evening raising money and awareness for Planned Parenthood to get more money to kill more babies. And after that, they might advocate on behalf of the Wicca practitioner down the street who just sacrificed the rescued cat to Baal.
You see, we can all coexist. The life I save, you can kill, because we coexist with different values. Now let's turn this around the other way.
What if I want to coexist with everyone you want to kill? What if I want to coexist with every snowflake baby given and born to families that want them? What if I want to coexist with every baby ever aborted, alive and well, and cared for.
I coexist with my family. But of course it's more than that. I coexist with my neighbors, but it's more than that. I coexist with my colleagues, but that's about it. The only reason it isn't more than that with my colleagues is because I teach at a state university, and that's about all I can tolerate with most of them.
Seriously, if we just coexist, where is the concern for our fellow man? When do we start to care about those closest to us? When do we begin to think that we are our brothers' keepers?
Let's use coexist in some sentences as we did with Tolerance:
I coexist with my son, and that is the source of our relationship.
I coexist with my sisters because they are my family and my best friends.
I coexist with my husband because he is the best man I've ever known.
I coexist with my neighbors because I care deeply about them.
I coexist with our dogs because they are loving and loyal.
I coexist with dust-bunnies because I am a lousy house-keeper.
Okay, the last one is true.
2 comments:
I feel sorry for you, and the many others, who are personally threatened by the notion of tolerance to other religions or points of view. The bumper stick you refer to that invokes such passion merely shows various religious and ideological symbols used to spell out a very gentle word. I regret you cannot find it in your heart to see this message.
I have good friends who are Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, Wiccan, and even Atheist; my life experience has been enriched because I can coexist with those people and while our views do not always fall in line with each other we are able to tolerate different viewpoints.
I'm sorry you have not had such an experience.
I can hear you....(-: Such humor!
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