When do you keep quiet about your beliefs...

A little late in the day to jump on the blog wagon but I enjoy this link up and I thought this was a pretty interesting topic.

This week's topic is:

What is something you strongly believe in but maybe don't speak up about often? Why do you believe this and what causes you to keep quiet about it?

Honestly, there isn't much that I am super passionate about that I tend to keep quiet on when it gets brought up in conversation, except for 2 situations.

I'm a pretty opinionated person when it comes to things that I really believe in but from observation and personal experience I know I need to keep my mouth shut in these situations.

First, is when I know the person speaking is rambling on purely to ramble on and has no intention of hearing out anyone else's side.
I just don't have the time to argue with people like that.
I'm a firm believer in the fact that even if you are going to be stead-fast in your beliefs, which is totally ok, at least give others the chance to voice their opinions without you interrupting, degrading, telling them they are wrong just because it's not what you believe, etc.
I have things that I feel pretty strongly about, but I am willing to give another human being the respect they deserve to let their feelings be known.
Who knows, you may learn something you never knew.

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Second, work people where I know little about their personal lives.
Not like close co-worker friends but I've seen what can happen when some seriously strong opinions get voiced that are opposite ends and these people have to continue working with one another.
Now I'm not saying there shouldn't be diversity in the work place by any means because there should but I think there are topics/beliefs that probably should just stay within your personal world.
Mainly because you might work with these people but you have no idea what is going on in their personal lives.
For example, a topic I tend not to bring up with work folks is children.
Not that children are a belief, but the topic of having them, abortion, etc can be related to beliefs.
Now if they have kids, they openly talk about them I'm willing to ask, "How are they doing?" or "When does school start for little Johnny?" but I try very hard never to ask someone when/if they will be having kids.
That's a pretty personal question and I have no idea what their situation is.
What if they can't have them? What if they've been trying and have lost a baby without my knowledge? What if they don't want them and have had abortions because of it? What if they absolutely despise kids (it happens) and the mere thought just throws them into a rant.
I'm coming across enough women/couples in my life that have had issues to know this can cause people a lot of pain and that is not something I want to bring up or be known for doing to someone, even if it's unbeknownst to me.
We won't even go into the arguments I've seen relating to politics and religion.

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That being said I am willing to have a discussion, key word there discussion, about anything that I believe in, which ranges from things as simple as shredded hash browns are WAY better than potato chunks, to complex issues like human equality.

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Happy Monday!

PS - I hosted my first ever giveaway last Thursday and you have until this Thursday to enter!
It's a pretty good prize so go check it out here