As a result of the recent elections I have found my relationships have encountered great tensions based on political and social beliefs. For example, the night before the elections went through, a friend contacted me to share a very angry message with me regarding my voting preferences. This shocked me as she had never addressed me in this fashion before. I began to think about my friendships and my family relations that have been strained as a result of political beliefs and this saddened me. It is important for individuals to recognize that politics in the last ten years have polarized our nation like never before. This is a phenomena I have never experienced so intensely as I am now. I do have faith that relationships will prevail over politics though.

As I approach conversations with friends and family I ask questions and do my best not to make statements that eliminate someone else's opinions, or discredit them. I do my very best to keep a calm tone and maintain a level of respect and open inquisition as to what their feelings are and why they may believe what they do in that moment. One reason why this election did have the outcome that it did, was actually because polling was inaccurate and more people voted red then many expected. This occurred because many people felt they would be accosted or disrespected or chastised for their voting preferences. Let us not allow our relationships to become divided and to disintegrate as a result of our polarization in this nation.