I Have A Voice, You Have A Choice

For those of you who have taken the time to keep up with the comment-fest on this blog post, let me address a few things here.

This is my personal blog. This is not a platform for Down syndrome advocacy, nor do I promote it as such.

I am opinionated. I don’t hide my opinion behind an anonymous email address, name or persona. What you see is what you get. Period. If I am going to share my opinion about something, I’m going to take accountability for it and own it.

I am entitled to my opinion. I have a voice and this is my platform for that voice. You have a choice. If you don’t want to read what I have to say, then don’t visit my blog. If you do choose to visit my blog and don’t agree with me, please feel free to speak up. I do not delete comments. I don’t censor my blog. Everyone is free to voice their opinion. I’m sure there are circumstances in which I would feel it appropriate to remove someone’s comment, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head.

Whether you’re referring to my opinion on Noah’s Dad, other bloggers or the book, “I Live With Peter Pan”; I have never attacked anyone, name called or made it personal.

I simply stated my opinion.

As a matter of fact, in one of those posts, I stated:

That doesn’t mean I don’t care for them as people. I don’t know them. It doesn’t mean I don’t respect their experience with Down syndrome. I’m not raising their child.

Just as I am entitled to my opinion, people are entitled to not agree with it. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I don’t expect everyone to like me. I have friends who love Kelle’s blog. While I admire her photography skills, I don’t care for her writing.

I may not always agree with those people in my circle, but we don’t hold our individual opinions against one another.

The world is full of opposing opinions and different viewpoints. How boring and pointless would it be if we all agreed with one another? The challenge, for some, comes in showing respect for those we don’t agree with. The manner in which someone chooses to not agree with me says a lot about THEM as a person. When someone chooses to bash someone else, they say more about them self than they do about me.

When my son was small and someone hurt his feelings, I would often remind him to consider the source. There are always going to be people who don’t agree with you. There are always going to be people who react emotionally, as opposed to logically. There are always going to be people who feel the need to lash out and attempt to cause pain instead of engaging in level-headed conversations. You have to consider the source and then evaluate how important this person’s opinion is to you.

Apparently, someone was really hurt by my opinion of something close to them and has chosen to lash out and personally attack me. I am sorry you got your feelings hurt. I truly am. My opinion obviously means a great deal to you and maybe I should have been a bit more gentle in my approach.

This is my platform to speak my opinion. You have a choice to read it, or to go elsewhere. I’m sure you could find something more constructive to do with your time than to leave nasty messages on my little corner of the world. And the next time you want to “anonymously” trash me, you may want to be more careful about the information you leave behind.

The kind of man who always thinks that he is right, that his opinions, his pronouncements, are the final word, when once exposed shows nothing there. But a wise man has much to learn without a loss of dignity.
-Sophocles

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