Reply To: Why do we seclude ourselves from the world around us?

@Sam Klein: I think the key is respect. Just because I hang out with these people doesn’t mean I am automatically them. We have our views and we respect each other’s views. For instance, if my friend is a conservative Jew, I still respect him and his customs even if my personal custom is different. A person is not defined by their religion or lack thereof and defining a person only based on religion is a terrible trait. Just because someone is different than you does NOT automatically make them evil. Nor does it automatically mean you will become them. Furthermore, what defines a “tzadik?” If a person is a good person but not Jewish, why should they not be considered “good?” Lastly, I never said they were only alchoholics. I have a diverse range of friends and while some may fall into that category many of my friends are not. We are all intellectually respectful of each other and we have similar interests (robotics, world, technology, music, etc) and our religious or sexual differences do not make us different PEOPLE.

@Joseph: What I said above still stands. These people aren’t automatically crazy just because they are of a different religion, gender, or orientation. And I do see the results of interacting with the opposite gender. I understand that they are people that have ideas as well and not just as tempting things until marriage. It means that I no longer look at a woman and immediately have Teivas because I’m used to it and i don’t see every single woman as tempting.