In Your Mind

I'm a big fan of the band Built to Spill. One of my favorite songs is called "In Your Mind." The chorus of the song goes, "And no one can tell me to listen, and no one can tell me what's right, cause nobody has my permission, and no one can see in your mind." These lyrics really resonate with me because I find so much truth in them. How can I say what's right for someone else? I don't know their emotions, their thought processes, their perception of things and people. My view of the world could be totally different from another's, but this doesn't mean that one of us is wrong and the other is right; it simply means that they're different. This is why I get so angry when I encounter intolerance. For example, I clearly remember coming home on the evening that votes were casted for same-sex marriage. My parents had another couple (who happen to be extremely conservative) whom they're friends with over for dinner. When the subject of homosexual marriage came up, Mr. Brock, one of my parents' friends, proudly proclaimed, "We voted against the fags." Now, I'm not homosexual, but my cousin is, and I have many gay friends. Thus, I was rather offended. Why should he have even been able to vote on the issue? He's not gay; same-sex marriage has no effect on him, so why does he get to make such an important decision in other people's lives? Why does he get to define what valid love is? Or what marriage should be? He's totally homophobic, and therefore could not possibly understand a homosexual relationship. It's a shame how we let our prejudices get in the way of letting other people live their lives to the fullest. Every time I catch myself making a judgement, I always think about that Built to Spilt song. It's not my place to tell someone else what is right, and I will never let anyone make that decision for me.