I read the op and was worried this was going to descend into arguing again but… it went as well as it could. Great discussion everyone.
My only answer is sort of what some of you saying. I believe you will be doing yourself a grand favor by detaching from being offended by these things. Someone else’s thoughts that might seem demeaning or outdated, are their thoughts. Their thoughts shouldn’t have an effect on you.
The world is full of such thoughts/ideas that contradict your world beliefs/perspective. You will likely run into them even if you try to avoid them. And you will be triggered unless you come to accept that this is just where society is still at.
I’ve had to accept that there are still war mongerers in this world. I accept there is so much division in the world. I accept xenophobia is on the rise, slavery still exists, children are sexually exploited, damage we’ve done to this planet, corrupted leaders, inequality is still the norm and so on. It’s the way of this world. If I don’t accept that this is just part of this game, I will automatically react with negativity at every turn.
The negative in this world has as much place as the positive. It is part of someone else’s growth even if it doesn’t seem that way. The ALL grows through the suffering and love.
That being said, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do anything about these things. Accepting it doesn’t mean embracing it. Doesn’t mean to tolerate disrespect. We should defend ourselves if we have to and if we see something wrong and can do something about it, it would benefit the collective if we act on it.
But acceptance of the world and all its duality is how you begin to flow with the world and find peace within it. All the ugliness is a part of the divine. It’s the hardest truth to accept. Not saying to do so now. Take your time with such a thing.