I am tired of policing my thoughts, let alone my words.

Not a day goes by that I do not have to consciously think about what I am about to say and perhaps re-word it a slightly so as not to unduly offend someone. Sometimes I just do not voice my opinion, worried that I will get ridiculed or shamed by someone who may not agree with me.

Sadly, that is where we are right now.

In a world of triggers, microaggressions and social justice warriors, it seems almost anything can be offensive to someone.

Well, not anymore. Not for me.

I refuse to be the custodian of someone else's emotions.

And in doing so, I hope to inspire change for the better.

I will willfully engage in the dissemination of ideas, no matter that I might be called ignorant, or that I will endure proclamations that “I just don’t get it,” or that I am “part of the problem.”

As I see it, the people who try to stifle free speech that they do not agree with are part of the problem.

I heard a strange statement uttered today when I was listening to the radio on the way to work.

“I am only intolerant to intolerant people.”

I can’t even remember the rest of interview, I was so engrossed in what that person said.

This person, who claimed to be fighting for equality and justice for all, was actually advocating replacing someone else’s intolerance with their own. And was doing it in a way that they felt justified in doing so.

I was floored. Can they not see that they are perpetuating the problem of intolerance? The blatant hypocrisy of their position?

The definition of intolerance, according to the Canadian Oxford dictionary is "an unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behaviour that differ from one's own."

It is weird, because I can understand what that person on the radio was saying. There is no place in our society for racism, stereotyping, sexism or discrimination in general.

But we must draw the line when we infringe on someone else’s protected speech, however distasteful it may be. To do otherwise, is to become the enemy, in other words, intolerant.

For the people who cry out that their sensibilities are offended by whatever distasteful notion is spewed by said distasteful person, I have a quote from the Minds Journal for you.

“You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing everything with logic; true power is restraint. If words can control you, that means that everyone else can control you; breathe, and allow things to pass.”

The sooner you realize that you, and only you, are responsible for your emotions and feelings, the sooner we will be out of this mess.

In his book, “3 Minute Therapy”, Dr. Michael Edelstein states that external experiences and people cannot make us feel anything. Rather, it is the experiences and expectations that each of us individually bring to a situation that cause how we feel.

In other words, it is our beliefs and expectations about a specific person, thing, or event that directly influences how we feel about something.

So, it appears that there is hope that the Alt Left can get their perpetual outrage under control, and that cooler heads will be able to tackle different issues without the day-to-day microaggressions and triggers that happen nowadays.

Until then, I will continue to fight intolerance with my offensive, uncensored free speech.