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Join the local Democratic party or move to places with lots of liberals, NY, Boston, SF, LA, etc. Other than that, you'll have problems as people get older they tend to get wiser and become more conservative.
Reasonable people can form close associations and acquaintanceship with those with whom they disagree vehemently in world-view. It's possible to collaborate as business-partners, to be good neighbors, to provide emergency assistance such as taking each other to the hospital when falling seriously ill, to trade recipes and to cheerily gossip about the neighborhood and the intransigence of the utility-company and the neglected potholes.
But "friendship" means taking a mutual personal liking, and to some extent sharing values. Friendship means opening up earnestly regarding one's deepest views, biases, aspirations, frustrations. If the topic of politics or religion doesn't arise in one's conversations, then that means that one remains sufficiently guarded and diplomatic. In so doing, substantial things can be accomplished – but is this genuine friendship?
We are solicitously diplomatic and restrained in the workplace. Amongst genuine friends, it is preferable to be unguarded and unrestrained - even vulnerable.
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Originally Posted by CarvedTones
IME, most liberals and agnostic atheists old enough to be posting on a retirement forum (myself included) were not raised as such. We flipped. It usually is the result of reflection, sometimes research and nearly always discussion. It often results in alienating (at some level) people we care about. ...
This has also been my personal observation. On the other hand, personal experience is exactly backwards. As an immigrant from Eastern Europe, I was raised in an atheistic society. Later in life I came to question that, becoming sympathetic to religion. Still later in life I gravitated to an atheism informed by study of religious primary-texts and commentaries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoriBee62
Funny, as I got older I got wiser and became more liberal.
I'm perhaps not getting wiser. I'm becoming more "conservative" in the sense of being risk-averse, skeptical of change and more fatalistic; but also more "liberal" in the sense of eschewing absolutes, and regarding chance and early-life advantages as contributing more to success, than personal initiative, dedication or talent.
Why would anyone want to take a negative energy subject like politics so seriously? It makes about as much sense if I said I can't be friends with a LA Lakers fan since I am a Golden State Warriors fan.
Somebodys politics can show that they have some kind of prejudice against u or people that look like you. Thus they may vote or support congress people that will hurt ur cause.
FOr instance, Im ready to pretty much eradicate section 8 & most welfare. Saying this to a poor person thats has been using these things for life could lead to a nasty moment and prevent or end a friendship.
Being a fan of a sports team doesnt affect ur life at all
Gee I have the same problem as a conservative atheist vegetarian. And we atheists let you know we are such because within a half hour of meeting us, many people start that jesus stuff with us and what are we supposed to do? Smile and go along with it? No.... religion and politics need to stay at home.
Atheists and vegans are probably the two most evangelizing groups in this country. Within about ten minutes, they feel some need to voice their superiority over those of us who have different beliefs on God and diet.
I have hundreds of friends of various beliefs and religion and politics NEVER come up. And I really don't want to hear your political or religious beliefs, EVEN IF THEY ARE IDENTICAL to my own.
We unarguably live in the Bible Belt. Consequently we hear references to peoples' beliefs often but never in a challenging manner. There are just certain idioms one becomes used to hearing. The utterers mean no offense or harm, quite to opposite in fact, and no offense is taken nor harm supposed. Life is too short to go around on guard, angry or resentful.
No, I'm not the one. Apparently you have never met a married retired woman who watches Fox News all day long with her husband, or a couple who goes to a fundamental or pentecostal church every Sunday. The married ones aren't as invested in finding friends because they have their husband for companionship, so they are more into finding out where you stand, too. I need to move into a senior complex so I can meet single women! Also, one big mistake is sharing Facebook accounts after you make friends. Then you start receiving their political or religious postings
Please don't write us married women off! (The rest of your post doesn't apply to me---I'd watch MSNBC before Fox if I was to watch political TV and I'm an atheist, with Buddhist leanings). But you can't depend on anyone else for companionship 24/7. My husband and I are almost joined at the hip, so at least once a week and sometimes more I do stuff without him. And keep in mind that just because you are part of a married couple doesn't mean you want to socialize with other married couples. Hard enough to connect with one person. To find a couple that you both like is really difficult---often it's love him, hate her, or vice versa.
Also---as a liberal, atheist, vegan I can tell you that I am not always accepted by people with those same labels. I've been called a DINO (Democrat in name only) by uber-liberal friends when I question or criticize a liberal politician or point out that every civilian killing by a police officer isn't automatically the police person's fault. And with vegans, one will try to out-vegan another. I can live the rest of my life quite easily without eating any animal products---but if I'm sick and need a pill that has a gelatin coating, I will not stand on ceremony and I will ingest that pill...or kill ants a roach that is inside (although I do try to get most bugs out)---this is frowned upon in that community as well.
The best thing is to take each person as an individual and not just a member of a particular category. Some of the warmest people I ever met have been religious conservatives! And some of the vegans, who are so compassionate towards four-legged animals, could care less about humans. I will attempt friendship with anyone I think is a good person and with a reasonably easy-going personality---and just enjoy the differences since no one will ever find a clone of themselves (and while I like myself, I wouldn't want a clone of myself---wouldn't be interesting!)
Atheists and vegans are probably the two most evangelizing groups in this country. Within about ten minutes, they feel some need to voice their superiority over those of us who have different beliefs on God and diet.
I have hundreds of friends of various beliefs and religion and politics NEVER come up. And I really don't want to hear your political or religious beliefs, EVEN IF THEY ARE IDENTICAL to my own.
Jesus had no problem sharing his.
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