Sunday, March 02, 2014

"Gay" in the News: Resistance to Popular Sentiment is Futile




Resistance is Futile.  You will be assimilated...




According to popularity surveys, the idea of "same-sex marriage" is gaining public approval.  This attitude reportedly represents the changing tide of public acceptance, which by most accounts, amounts to a rather euphoric sense of inevitability.



You're about to be assimilated.  Why fight it?



It is evident that the predators can smell the blood in the water.  It excites them.  The feeding frenzy ensues.

Personally, I find the idea of assimilation to be rather distasteful.  I would rather fancy myself as capable of forming my own opinions, regardless of the popularity of certain ideas.  So I consistently resist the suggestion of any compulsion by the ebb and flow of the thundering herd.  Notwithstanding, I am not into absorbing personal punishment without reason.  I stand aside for the passage of the thundering herd, purely out of respect for preponderance.  Though I tend not to conform with popularity, I see no need to get trampled.

Someone whose opinion I respect carries more weight than any popular survey or public opinion poll.  Thomas S. Monson counseled for seeking confirmation from God to help us bear up the courage of our convictions.
It is this sweet assurance that can guide you and me—in our time, in our day, in our lives. Of course, we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but also as a determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well.  (The Call for Courage)
Maybe it is foolish, perhaps resistance is futile.   But until I am informed by a more authoritative source than popularity, I will continue to stand for principle, trying to defend the causes I believe are right and good.

That does not necessarily mean always opposing what is popular.  It means thoughtfully promoting what I believe to be right, regardless of what the latest popular survey says.

My enthusiasm for discussing this issue is exhausted, though it is no less prominent in the news media coverage or in the important events taking place at this time.  Declining to write more about it here does not indicate that it is any less of a concern, or that my interest in the prevention of current trends has declined. I'm just sick of discussing it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

On the issue of assimilation - I'm still interested in the question of just how much the predator can be said to "love" the prey it kills and eats.