I like passionate people. If you go through your life without holding beliefs that are worth getting worked up over, I wonder if you are really living. I think passionate people get things done. I believe they have great influence that changes the world around them. You cannot name a leader who had an impact on their generation and beyond without seeing their passion. George Washington was passionate about freedom. Gandhi was passionate about social justice. Churchill was passionate about defeating tyranny. Passion is a great trait except when it steps out of bounds.

We are living in a world where technology has advanced to the point that we all have the ability to let our passions loose on social media any time we want. It is an available forum and it is free to all. However, I wonder if we have crossed a line when we attempt to shout down all other opinions but our own. Social media is truly a great way to voice your opinion, but it too often trends toward revealing the ugliest part of us. I’m sure you have read comments left by people on social media, many times to people they have claimed as "friends.” I have to believe that they would never say those types of things to the person’s face or they would have no friends. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big First Amendment guy. I believe in free speech, I just don’t believe in free speech that shuts out all other opinions. I have very strong beliefs that I will not budge from despite what you say or do to me. But that does not mean you should not be able to speak your mind based on the passions of your heart.

I think we are losing the ability to debate ideals without the conversation degrading to name calling and an attempt to permanently shut down any opposing voices. There is a lack of compassion for people in that type of thinking. We have seen it played out in history time and again. We are seeing it once again in our generation. Believe what I believe or I will label you, marginalizing you and anyone who thinks like you. If you don’t believe like I do, I will attack your business, sending all kinds of hate your way via social media. I will garner the support of others who think like I do to also smear you and your business. Then we will march outside your business until you conform to our way of thinking. If not, we will confront your customers and shame them for buying from you. Then what? We will pressure your vendors to stop selling to you, attacking them for supporting your bigoted ways. Beyond that, we will lobby the legislature to bend to our wishes and enact laws to outlaw you and those like you. Then what? Off to the slums you will go. Then one day we will show up with cattle cars and roll you and your type out of town, never to be seen from again, but isn’t there a peculiar smell of burning flesh in the air coming from behind the barbed wire enclosed facility down the road? Do you think it can’t happen here? To me, it seems the train is already rolling in that direction.

This is where businesses have to walk a very fine line. Do any of us want to lose customers? Of course not. So how do you stand up for your passions when the other side is so militant in their opposing viewpoints? It used to be that a business could take a pass and not respond. Staying neutral doesn’t seem to be an option anymore. The other night I was going into my local Walmart. As I entered the building a man approached me reselling cigarettes. This is a new way of panhandling that is becoming prevalent in many areas. I told him that I did not smoke and we each exchanged a "have a good day” to each other. One moment later a Walmart employee who was on a break (and ironically smoking a cigarette just outside the front doors) started shouting at the man to get off of the property. She was shouting so loud I am sure anyone in the parking lot could hear her. He went on the attack. He was inches away from the Walmart lady and threatening to beat the (double expletive) out of her. I stepped in between the two of them. I thought for sure he was going to hit her. I wasn’t sure she wasn’t going to hit him back. I told him to just walk away and cool off before he ended up in jail. I told her to just stop talking and back away. They kept going at it, verbally screaming obscenities at each other. They finally separated. Did either of them change their minds about what they were doing? I doubt it. I would imagine he kept on approaching people in the parking lot, feeling justified in what he was doing. I would guess that she felt like she was doing her part to keep Walmart from losing cigarette sales to a panhandler. At one point in their shouting, the lady yelled, "if you need a job, we are hiring, you stupid (expletive)!” That’s not exactly what I think Walmart HR had in mind for recruitment tactics.

I just think there needs to be some room for compassion in our passion. Hold your values that are dear to you and don’t back down. But give a little room for someone to disagree with you without all the hateful backlash. Show some restraint. You may want to think about that reply to something on social media that irritated you before you post it for the world to see. And check your heart when you desire to do so. The root of the problem typically lies inside us, not with the media we use as a weapon.