Thought for the Day

[bcholmes]

As I guess it is for most kids, in Grade 3, it was always a real treat to visit my dad at work.

As on previous visits this particular occasion included a lunch at the parliamentary restaurant which always seemed to be terribly important and full of serious people that I didn't recognize.

But at eight, I was becoming politically aware. And I recognized one whom I knew to be one of my father's chief rivals.

Thinking of pleasing my father, I told a joke about him -- a generic, silly little grade school thing.

My father looked at me sternly with that look I would learn to know so well, and said: "Justin, never attack the individual. One can be in total disagreement with someone without denigrating him as a consequence."

Saying that, he stood up and took me by the hand and brought me over to introduce me to this man. He was a nice man who was eating with his daughter, a nice-looking blond girl a little younger than I was.

My father's adversary spoke to me in a friendly manner and it was then that I understood that having different opinions from those of another person in no way precluded holding this person in the highest respect.

Because mere tolerance is not enough: we must have true and deep respect for every human being, regardless of his beliefs, his origins and his values. That is what my father demanded of his sons and that is what he demanded of our country. He demanded it out of love -- love of his sons, love of his country.

-- Justin Trudeau's eulogy for his father, Pierre Trudeau, in fall, 2000

Knowing how I feel about a particular President, I know that I am not that big of a person, yet.

Comments

[king-tirian.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I come from a quasi-political family and I regret that those days are largely behind us now. Even beyond the basic "love thine enemy" level of decency, there was a political acknowledgement that politicians are elected by thousands (or millions, depending on the office) of people and represent as many as twice that many constituents, and so to disrespect a political adversary was to disrespect all of the citizens that that politician serves, and indirectly the (little d and r) democratic and republican ideals that everyone holds dear.

I don't know how you reclaim that prize once the civility is lost. I'm sure it must be possible, because my nation has been even more fragmented than it is currently in and yet was civil when I was a child.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I still beleive people have to deserve my respect.

A lot of people I disagree with can do that.

The President you refer to cannot.

Re: Thought for the Day

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

this is more complicated for me -- somebody can hold vastly different opinions, and yet deserve my respect because of the way zie comports zirself, and because i recognize that zie has arrived at those opinions through a lot of hard thought, just like i have arrived at those of mine i hold dear.

not everyone who holds vastly different opinions from me deserves my respect because not everyone comports zirself with honour, and not everyone has arrived at those opinions through a lot of hard thought.

popularity is not enough. i need to see it expressed by the person zirself in a way i can recognize. i recognize nothing of the sort in this particular president (while, for example, i do recognize it in this particular prime minister).

[msstacy13.livejournal.com]

i have great respect for al capone...
this fact makes him no less a killer and criminal...
that a contemptable person disagrees with us
does not entitle him to respect...