On Intolerance, Tolerance and Indifference

I remember being called intolerant. Some people who claim to be tolerant are intolerant with anyone who disagrees with them. The reason I was called that was because I did not agree with the lifestyle of a certain person. I want to make it real clear that it is not normal or soundly reasonable to agree with everyone all of the time. I want to make it clear that I am a firm believer in freedom. I also want to make it clear that I refuse to hate anyone. I have certain convictions that persuade me that there are some things that I will never do. I am capable of doing them, and it is possible for me to do them, but I refuse to do them. I ALSO REFUSE TO HATE THE PERSONS WHO ENGAGE IN THE CONDUCT THAT I HATE. Is it not possible to hate a certain lifestyle and not hate the persons who engage in it? There are some mixed up people in this world who confuse compassion and respect for others with indifference to others. Many of those people are not really tolerant. They are indifferent. A writer who really believed it was Somerset Maugham. He said: "Tolerance is only another name for indifference." G.K. Chesterton said: "Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions." Indifference? It is serious business. Some say it is worse than hatred. "I did not hate them; I was indifferent to them. My crime was far worse because I was not an anti-Semite." (Albert Speer: A Nazi war criminal) "Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil. The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." (Elie Wiesel) Tolerance is a positive attribute; I really believe it. But only if it is truly tolerance and not merely indifference.