Living a Life of Tolerance

First of all let's be clear. I don't give a crap who got here first. You only get to lay claim to "ownership" if you can hold on to what you think is yours and if you are strong enough to protect it. If you aren't strong someone stronger may come along and take it away from you. If that happens, you need to stop pouting, get over it and adapt. The world changed, you big baby, and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to benefit you OR your kind. I say assimilate. Figure the new world order out and find a place in that world.

Now if you aren't too stupid or too lazy and you actually make an effort to assimilate, I'm the kind of guy who will respect you for it and I will begin to practice tolerance. I will honor you in your new environment. Heck, I might even lend a helping hand even if it means I have to go against the establishment to support you.

This isn't theory. This is real. Let me tell you my story.

Michelle doesn't like them. Well, in all fairness that isn't completely true. She likes them ok, just not in our neighborhood. I on the other hand, I figure they have as much right to be here as I do so I've practiced tolerance for years. She is nervous that they will vandalize our house and she blames them for some past damage. I'm not sure if the damage was from them but even if it was, the one who did the damage probably doesn't represent the views of the rest of them enough that we should be making sweeping judgments about all of them so I still argue for tolerance. Recently I went a step farther (even though my wife was opposed).

I decided to help them out by providing some food. Michelle thinks it is a bad move because that will just bring more of them in and the chance of vandalism increases but I'm committed so...

I build a squirrel feeder outside my window. It has two screws through it and I put corn cobs on the screws (one fresh, one dried). I like to watch them come around and chew on the corn (except when the dog sees it then I DON'T like the chaos that occurs when Newbie freaks out) and I get that they may try to burrow another hole in my eaves so they can build a next but I still think that we need to share our resources.

I know, I know these squirrels are are lower on the food chain than we are and I could just kill them but hey! I'm living a life of tolerance.