Accepting you, me, her, him, and it.

I am glad to say that I understand the concepts that Mill was describing. It still upsets me that I cannot comprehend them on my own, but I am working on it. In terms of the actual content, it not only scares me but intrigues me as well. It scares me because it was written about 150 years ago, yet is still just as prevalent today. It intrigues me because he wrote this during times that were probably much different that they are today and probably caused much controversy. He speaks about not necessarily deviating from the norm, but that its okay if you do. One aspect of class today that really sparked my interest was something that I had never thought of before. Several times I have said something along the lines of "they're just like you and me" regarding people of different genders, sexualities, races, cultures, etc. I realized today that this may be true, but the more appropriate way to accept others would be to simply (although, maybe not so simple) accept their differences rather than trying to acknowledge them as just the same. It is how I have accepted people from the moment I realized that others were different. I really do feel that I changed from hearing that today. This can also influence my presence in my anthropology class this year. We learn about numerous different cultures and practices that strongly differ from our own. It is hard to compare with some for the extreme differences they acquire, but it is important to note that we don't need to compare and just need to accept their existence and appreciate it. I may not have made a complete revelation in my life, but it is refreshening to know.