This week, the United States witnessed and participated in one of the most historic elections to date. Upon being asked to write an article inspired by the election, I struggled to select which aspect to discuss. Should I talk about what it means to have a businessman as the President-elect? What of the fact that a major American political party finally nominated a female candidate? Ultimately, I decided to talk about something that I’ve really struggled with: the lack of respect surrounding this election from supporters of both sides of the coin.

Let me first say this: I have never expressed my political views via social media. I keep my thoughts to myself because I feel that I could become overly passionate about my subject matter and deliver my thoughts in an aggressive manner. I also don’t want to be clumped into the group of political Facebook activists. People literally spend their days getting in “Facebook wars” and firing back at tweets with which they disagree. Now, in this country, we have the freedom of speech. But why do so many people feel the need to exercise that right in such a disrespectful and inhumane manner—especially in regards to this election and the results?

The important thing to remember here is that your friends are not the candidates themselves. Accusing everyone who voted for Trump to be a racist, for example, is simply not true. Accusing everyone who voted for Clinton of ignoring her federal investigation is also not true. This is where we need to consider policy versus personality when speaking about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and this election. Think about how you determined who you voted for. Did you vote against Clinton or Trump because of some irrational comment they made one day? Or, did you vote for the candidate whom you thought had the best policies within their plan to run the United States of America? Whoever and however you chose, you acted within your rights as an American citizen to freely select who you believed in. We shouldn’t live in fear of expressing our opinion. My point here is that asking people to unfriend you because they associate with and/or voted for ____________ is disrespectful.

If you expect everyone to have the same beliefs, morals and values, open your eyes. Our country is a beautiful melting pot. Why should everyone believe the same thing? The one thing that should unify us is respect—for ourselves, for one another, for our country and, whether you like it or not, for our President. If sharing your beliefs and emotions over this election on social media gives you some kind of relief, go ahead. Do it. But don’t make assumptions. Don’t be accusatory. Act with dignity. Speak with respect—and listen to what others say. You may be surprised at what wisdom can come from listening to those who with you not only agree, but disagree.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31