Before I begin, I would like to start off by saying: This is by no means a politic-related article. I am not going to voice my opinion about the upcoming election, nor will I defend which politician I want to win; the point of this article is not to push my personal opinion on to you.

The other day, I had dinner with a close friend. We got onto the topic of the upcoming election, which included our opinions about the candidates as well as who we would be voting for. The conversation continued for a good half hour. It was a healthy and informative conversation.

Guess what? We had completely differing opinions on who the best candidate is. By "completely different," I mean she planned on voting for my absolute last choice and vice versa.

My point is: Even though we completely disagreed on a lot of details, we still managed to have a normal conversation without it getting the best of us. We managed to be kind and courteous to one another while voicing our diversed opinions.

Yes, it is possible. Yes, we are still close friends. No, our friendship is not any different.

I think it is important to note neither of our opinions were hurtful or unkind to others; our base intent was the same: To make this country successful and the individuals happy. Sure, the paths we believed the country should take in order to be successful and happy were different, which is okay. This country would not be where it is today if people had all the same ideas. However, this country would also not be where it is if we constantly beat down and destroyed every one who had a differing opinion from our own.

What I would encourage every one to keep in mind throughout the next several months is to respect others' opinions. Just because someone has a contrasting opinion does not mean they are wrong, nor does it mean you are wrong. It is not necessary to verbally hurt someone just because they believe in something else.

Also, I would point out that it is not an issue for you to have your own opinion. It is not an issue to voice your opinion. It is not an issue to be different.

It is an issue to push your opinion onto others while verbally hurting them.