I’m not a political person. I’m not a super religious person, although I do consider myself a Christian who believes deeply in the word of God. I’m not a super vocal person, and I try to not stick my opinion where it isn’t needed. I’m good at keeping my thoughts to myself, unless I feel otherwise. I stay out of personal drama until I feel that it’s necessary to defend myself, and I mind my own business because I understand that my problems are nobody else’s except my own. Why do I do this? Because it makes my life easier, more peaceful and less complicated, which is just the way I like it. My life is stressful enough without all the commotion going on around me. I understand some situations can’t be avoided and must be faced head on, but why make your life more complex than it needs to be, right? I may not be one to put myself out there, but I do know right from wrong and the difference between honesty and being hateful.

Like I said, I stray away from setting my opinion where it isn’t needed, but this time I’m going to try to draw the line. Lately, I’ve been seeing multiple articles about mass shootings, gay rights protests, the presidential election coming up, open carry laws, and people getting away with crimes for which they owe more than time in jail (OK, maybe I do vocalize some opinions, but I feel now is a good time). I’ve read articles from every angle and have seen many, and I mean many, different sides to these trending topics. Still, I stand firm in what I believe and disagree with, which is fine, because that is my right under the first amendment to the Constitution, as well as everybody else’s. With that being said, as long as this first amendment is protected, disagreement will happen. Now, whether or not a person chooses to respect someone else's opinion is a different story.

And that is the problem all by itself.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be entitled to our own opinions, because that is a blessing given to us by our Founding Fathers that we should appreciate. I’m not saying you’re wrong for voicing what you think is right or what you think is wrong. I’m not saying America is doomed to death because of an amendment that is taken advantage of or taken for granted. This amendment is the reason I can freely write this article without the fear of being of hunted down. The problem here is, because of our right to voice an opinion, you will have that handful of people who disagree, and within that handful, you will have people who look at your views as a threat. Without a doubt, you will come across these people a lot throughout your lifetime. They are the pessimists, the close-minded, stubborn individuals who will look at you sideways if your argument doesn’t line up with theirs. These people can be harmless as well as dangerous, and that is obvious considering some of the headlines I’ve been reading lately. These people exist, and they are everywhere. Their respect for your concerns won’t matter as long as you are against them. When I refer to “these individuals,” I’m not saying all of them are strangers; they could be people you have known your entire life. I mean, I like to think I am a pretty open-minded person, but even I will admit that there are select topics I will stand firm on. Bowtie noodles are better than penne noodles -- what can I say?

Freedom of speech is the reason why we have some of the problems that we do. Vocalized opinions that are made public will cause some kind of outbreak or disagreement, but we need to know when enough is enough. Our freedom of speech is available to us at any time, but when we take it upon ourselves to make a big deal about why our opinions should be supported, that’s when people will come forward and fight back. Through many of the controversial topics being discussed in today’s society, I have seen some positive and negative outcomes. That's true of anything, but I’m seeing some people taking advantage of the right to free speech and getting upset when people step forward to argue against their views -- and they react by lashing out. There is so much hate in this country due to the lack of respect that people have for each other’s opinions, and it’s the reason some subjects involve tragic events.

As long as gay marriage is legal, you will always have some people cursing them for disrespecting what God says about Adam and Eve. As long as marijuana is legal to smoke, you will have some people trying to persuade the government and people that it is harmful. As long as guns are legal to sell and carry, you will always have those arguing that guns are the reason behind mass shootings and crimes. Unless Ronald Reagan decides to rise from the dead, a good U.S. president will be hard to find (oops, did I really type that?). These are facts -- or most of them are, at least -- and we just need to get used to it. Instead of taking every opinion so personally, we need to start rationalizing and understanding why this person thinks the way they do. That is what some people are having a hard time understanding. I’m not arguing that all of the stuff I read is justifiable, because it isn’t, but we need to stop acting so surprised when people decide it’s time for them to stand their ground. It is a right. We are the only ones to blame for these tragedies we read about, and yet we continue to do nothing to help fix these problems at their roots. There will be psychos every now and again, but we need to stop arguing and start listening what other people have to say. Until America can agree to disagree on controversial topics, we won’t discover peace or ever find a happy medium. Until people understand that respect comes before victory, we won’t know love. Until everyone under the Constitution understands that freedom of speech doesn’t justify actions such as murder, rape and hatred towards one another, but instead can be used to build this country up, we will never become one. This country is in a constant battle, trying to keep this country free of our natural born rights, but is it even worth it anymore?