20 Dec 2008 Schwabmunchen, Germany
Category: Respect
The day before yesterday I wrote about family celebrations in the Christmas time and after one of these occasions one of my friends told the following: they went to visit their family and all relatives and friends were gathered there. Some people were smokers, too, but the majority were non-smokers like my friend.
After a while the smokers went to have a cigarette on the balcony. They left the door open and smoke also came inside. This disturbed the non-smokers who then complained about the smoke and asked them to shut the door. This complaint started a discussion about tolerance and somebody said that non-smokers should have tolerance for smokers. They were told that it is not polite to say it like that. They gave the obvious answer: Why do I need to suffer and harm myself? Why do I need to breathe in this smoke that others produce? Where is the tolerance of those who are not only harming themselves but also others who are near and who did not light any cigarette, who do not ever smoke?
When I got to know this incident, I really wondered what kind of argument that is and who could talk like this about tolerance. They do not put any effort to make a correction to what is wrong, they give an argument in favour of a wrong thing. They should apologize but instead of that they argue and give a lecture about tolerance. If they knew the real meaning of tolerance they would never say this. They decided to do this to their body but they do not tolerate other people’s wish not to be influenced by the smoke of their cigarettes. No, they even request tolerance for their smoking!
I want to say that you should take care of yourself and should not listen to this kind of strange argument. Sometime you can meet and face funny people who argue in a strange way. You should be very clear. It is a question of respecting your own body and your decision not to harm it. Be strong in this and don’t think that it is impolite to ask for clear and fresh air. I wrote this example of smoking here but this kind of situation can occur in different circumstances, too. My message is that you need to respect yourself!
Tags:: Respect, Smoking, Tolerance
2 Comments
Posted By Swami Balendu
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Sammy: You should love people because you value life. Smoking harms life so I think it is ok not to like it and to take a stand against it. Would you tolerate someone cutting another person? Just because smoking wounds a place that most people don't normally see with their own eyes inside the body doesn't mean it is okay to do it. it DOES harm other people. and the self. So to smoke is not to love.
Reply By Chris on October 25, 2010 02:11
I don't know, it is true that the smokers should be more tolerant and definitely more considerate to non-smokers. On the other hand, it isn't a good idea to demand the other party's tolerance without having some of your own. the tolerance game can get confusing. That is why I like it when you say just love people. If you do keep it simple, and don't believe that you deserve to be upset or judge people, then I think life will be happier.
Reply By Sammy on October 25, 2010 02:08
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