And here’s why, a breakdown of how political and religious views, an important part of the conflicts of everyday life, is actually hindering our chances of creating lifelong friendships.

Every day when I check my phone and social media, there is always someone who is arguing about the presidential election, feminism, LGBT rights, or how one religion is better than the other… It’s an endless list of topics to argue and debate about. Sure, having a debate about these issues with someone who respects the views of the other can be fun and stimulating sometimes. But what about the times when people start insulting each other and imposing negative feelings on people who aren’t even involved? These people are judging each other based completely on their views about a single topic, ignoring the fact that the other person probably has reasons behind their beliefs, and underneath this conflict of interest, they might just be a genuine, kind, beautiful soul who deserves every bit of love, attention, and sympathy as you. It could be that they were brought up that way, so this idea is deeply rooted as part of their person, but it doesn’t mean that all parts of the person is bad. Humans crave to be nurtured and loved, we all do, because we’re all humans (yes, even you antisocial person who is hiding underneath their bed sheets or pretending to be sick just so you don’t have to go to school and face those jerks, I’m talking to you as well). So why would you turn down the chance to love an amazing human being based on their opinion on a sole subject? Why do so, when you could more than likely receive that love and nurture that you crave - isn’t that the reason behind all friendships? The human instinct and need to belong and feel connected.

Think of it this way - if someone worshipped rap like it was the king of all things in the whole universe, and someone thought it was complete trash that shouldn’t even be considered as music, would those two people care or make a big deal about it? Probably not. I mean, they might get into some arguments about it, but they would still be friends, and would overlook the difference. Or say, you have a different opinion regarding the fashion trend - those people would highly likely still be friends regardless of that fact. This is because they realize that this is just a single aspect of the other, not a defining attribute of their entire personality.

Don’t fight your neighbor who has a different opinion than you - what the world needs is more compassion and love for each other, especially in times of fright and need, such as the state we are right now. If you opened up your heart even just a little of a fraction, to allow space for that opinion that’s opposite to yours, you wouldn’t have to miss out on all the perks that come with being friends with that amazing person. I mean, we all have friends, so those people who have different opinions than yours, probably have friends that think they are pretty amazing, too. To respect is better than to despise someone. As Taylor Swift once said, “We don’t need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful”.

I’m not saying that you should agree with the opinion of the other person, I’m just saying that you should respect their views and don’t treat that sole opinion as the basis of personality for their entire person. Just like there are Clinton supporters that are willing to be friends with Trump supporters as long as they are actual, genuine, kind human beings, there are also Trump supporters that are willing to be friends with Clinton supporters, overlooking this political difference of opinions. When you respect someone even when they have different opinions, they will see that and respect you too. And you can be friends. It is entirely possible, as long as you don’t have the worst personality in the world - which, if you’re still reading this, you probably don’t.

Still not convinced? Well, I don’t know how to help you other than telling you that you, my friend, will be missing out on a whole load of awesomeness that the world has to offer.