Catspaw, bless you, you make a lot of sense.

(Although I still disagree those who defend humor that puts other people down - it's not enough to tell people to ignore insults because they're meant in fun. It's a matter of balance, and thinking about whether other people will feel hurt by your words. But anyhow, that's now what I was going to talk about,and let's not talk about that in this thread.)

I guess I mix together my religion and politics and lifestyle and work ethic and philosopy of life and how I feel I should treat other people. I think that's how it should be, and I think probably most of us are like that. I think maybe many of us share the same ideals, although we may label ourselves differently and we may have different approaches to those ideals.
I've always labeled myself a liberal, Catholic-Christian, Social Democrat, pacifist. Trouble is, I've often found myself at odds with my fellow liberals, Catholics, Social Democrats, and pacifists because I have never strictly adhered to the ideologies of any of those groups and I've always tried to see how the "other side" sees things. Sticking too close to an ideology stifles us, because it doesn't allow us to work with people who see things differently. If we can't work with people who see things differently, can we ever really accomplish anything? Of course, if we're too wishy-washy about our ideals, we can't accomplish anything, either.
I adhere quite strictly to the ideals of liberalism and socialism and democracy and pacifism and Christianity; but I realize that those are ideals we should strive for, ideals that may never be fully realized. As for religion, I consider myself part of the "loyal opposition" in the Catholic Church (and think of myself as every bit as Catholic as the pope I often disagree with). I feel obliged to consider and learn from the religious beliefs of all, from atheism to Islam.
Somehow, music seems to be able to bridge the gaps that divide us, and it can allow us to listen to people we disagree with. I may not listen to you because I've labelled you as an enemy to my ideology. However, if you can sing a good song that expresses your point of view, I'm likely to listen and to consider your opinion.
-Joe Offer-