I get some interesting emails. What would you do with this one? That arrived at 7.51am one morning. Perhaps the best thing I should have done was ignore it.

“Read Otto Weininger’s ”Sex and Character”, you might learn something. Second rate people, like women, have no place in politics or business.

”I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.” – Ecclesiastes 7:26″

The person who sent it to me via this blog bodged the system so that there is no return email, however we do hold the IP address of the computer which sent it.

I opened my emails merrily on a Monday morning – ready to respond to and support those who ask of me – and you can imagine my surprise to receive this. Of course first of all I wondered if it was a ‘bot’ or a ‘prank’, but someone had to be very intentional about making sure they were difficult to track.

There is a lesson in this:

I believe everyone is entitled to his or her opinion – in fact it is the diversity of ideas that makes the world an interesting place. The last thing we need is everyone agreeing on everything – debate is healthy.

However if you have an opinion OWN IT. Put your name to it, be proud of it, start a discussion – make a stand. And be prepared to continue the debate.

Even if your opinion is contrary to the laws of the land – laws can be changed for the better through lobbying and discussion.

Ask yourself when you don’t agree with the status quo – do you make a stand and put your name to what you believe in?

When I showed my colleague the CEO of RedBalloon.com.au She said “We think we have come so far – how could it be that some people have not evolved in the last 100 years?”

And a message to the nameless coward who sent me the email:

Get a life! – Without a woman (your mother) you would not be here. So your email is ridiculous and childish – grow up and make a contribution. If you want to start a debate – put your name to it. And to reference the Bible out of context is naive. Remember the piece Why can’t I own a Canadian?” Here are some highlights from that:

1. “When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?
4. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
5. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?”

This article first appeared as part of my LinkedIn influencer collection