How do you make friends and stay friends with people who have different political views than you do?

To me this seems like an asinine question, there is no place for politics in friendship. The only things that should be taken into account are morals, character, and personality.

It matters how they treat people. It matters what values they uphold in their life. It matters if they have some sort of connection with you.

It does NOT matter which side of the aisle they lean too.

The funny part about this is back in the beginning, Americans (well those who could) voted by walking up to big boxes with the a name printed in big letters on each for all to see and placing their ballot in the respective box. Everyone knew who everyone voted for. Subsequently it became an efficient way for communities and people to get divided by their differing opinions.

Luckily for us, the closed ballot system was made to address these problems and people are now able to vote for who they want without feeling the pressure of others judging them for it.

However, that no longer seems to be the case for a lot of people as they judge people solely on their opinions of government. At the end of the day, it's just that: an OPINION. It does not dictate whether someone is a good or bad person. It does not even dictate whether or not you can have something in common with another person. It is simply an opinion about government and the role government should have in its citizens lives.

I personally love being surrounded by people in my life who do not have the same views in life as I do, they allow me to see the world from different perspectives which can help develop or even change my own views on the world and politics. Not to sound too extreme, but surrounding yourself with people who only have the same beliefs as you do is almost effectively forming a cult around yourself. How can you ever learn about anything other than the cult and try to understand it if all your information and ideals are formed within the cult?

One of the greatest things about America is that we are not only allowed but encouraged (or at least we used to be) to have our own beliefs and opinions. It is the very thing that makes us the most diverse country! They don't call us “The Great American Melting Pot” for nothing!

So before your opinions of your friends and loved ones changes based on their differing political views, remember that it ultimately means nothing as far as your relationship is concerned, and if it does mean something to you then perhaps you need to take a break from political jargon and take that time to really get to know those same people on a level far below politics, get to know them as a person. It may just surprise you.