09/10/2020
Charles Vogel | Staff Columnist
As has been said countless times in the past few months, right now is a very difficult time in the U.S., politically, socially and so on. There are many negative things happening; however, this is something that seems to happen every year, months before a presidential election.
People often say negative things about others who have opposing beliefs. This is absolutely not right. We need to stop despising people who think differently or are voting for a different candidate than us.
It’s more than fair to disagree with them of course, but to demonize them is simply unfair. This happens in various ways: viewing Muslims as bad people because of what religion they practice, viewing conservatives as evil racists and viewing liberals as brainwashed snowflakes.
Thinking this way leads to more issues; but mainly, it leads to hate and resentment. We have no idea why people choose to believe what they believe since we have never walked around in their shoes.
All that truly matters is if a person is good or not. If a person is good and treats people well, then it should not matter. Whether someone is a Democrat or Republican shouldn’t matter. We don’t know why they chose to become either one, and frankly, it’s none of our business. If we begin to treat each other as equals, everything will become much better.
I was always told that negativity attracts more negativity. However, if you say and do positive things, it will lead to more positivity.
If you really dislike Joe Biden or his supporters, and you walk by someone wearing a Biden t-shirt, don’t frown or say, “Wow, how could they?” Just smile and go on with your life.
The same applies for the other side: If you hate Trump and see someone wearing a Make America Great Again hat, don’t call them a monster or give them dirty looks; smile and go on with your day.
Doing the opposite and being unkind to those people will just make others dislike you and create greater problems in the long run. Although, if you treat them with respect, I bet they will be respectful as well.
If you have a friend who has opposing political beliefs, instead of ending a friendship, simply don’t talk about politics. There is so much more to life than Rs and Ds, and there are many things you may have in common with people who differ politically than you.
If you say you hate Trump supporters or Biden supporters, I bet you have something in common with the people you say you despise. How boring would it be if we all thought the same way? That’s what makes this world great. Don’t hate, because that just leads to more hatred and problems. Instead, just smile and go on.