I'm sure most of you are sick and tired of reading articles about the 2016 presidential election. I am too, but I can't stop -- it's a sick addiction. This article isn't about the election though. It was inspired by it, however. I want to talk about opinions. Specifically, differences in opinions.
I will admit, I can get pretty bent out of shape when somebody has a different opinion than my own. I want to shake them, persuade them, argue with them until they see that I am right, and that they were dense to ever think otherwise. Going to school in a tiny town in Northeast Nebraska has put me in a lot of these situations, especially when it comes to politics, or anything else for that matter.
Speaking of college, this is actually a place where you find a lot of people who are very caught up in their own beliefs. Most college students are opinionated, educated, and passionate, sometimes to the point of being stubborn. Aside from the stubbornness, I want to celebrate all of these opinions and beliefs, no matter how different from mine they may be.
I am not a person who likes to argue, I am always the peace maker. BUT, I do like to stand up for what I believe in; which I think is the most beautiful thing a person can do. My friend and I could argue for hours about certain things, and sometimes I have to leave the room because I get so frustrated about how different we are. I just want her to give in, and realize that she is wrong. Then I realize that I'm not backing down, so why should she? We don't start calling each other names, we don't start putting each other down, and we don't get in to fist fights (usually). We just talk to each other about our feelings and reasons, respectfully.
I think that's the worst part of this stupid election: people threw respect out the window. It's not just in politics though, either. People will disrespect others because of their opinions on religion, hobbies, identities, sexuality, you name it. I'm not saying that you have to like their opinion, but I am saying that you need to respect it. If you can kindly tell somebody why you feel the way you do, then great job, you are a decent human being. If you are going to resort to name calling and bullying, you need to try again.
Learning to listen to other people's opinions without judgement has taught me a lot. It has almost never persuaded me to change my own opinion, but it has made me see certain people in a different light. Sometimes listening to people who feel differently than I do has even helped me strengthen my own beliefs. I just need to take a walk in their shoes, and try to understand how they came to their conclusions. Side note: I do think it's important to form your own opinions based on research and reflection, instead of basing it solely on what your friends or family believe.
Keep sharing your opinions, keep standing up for what you believe in, keep fighting the good fight, just please don't do it by belittling others.There are bad guys out there fighting for what they believe in, we just better hope that the good guys are out there fighting even harder.
