A little less than a month away from the election and many American citizens look like this:
It is an extremely hard task to keep your cool at a time like this, when tensions are high and opinions are being voiced. I’m not going to say that I am free of biases; I have opinions just like everyone else. But in an environment conducive to friction, I’m here to remind the American people of a few things as they continue to think they’re better than another person, based on their beliefs.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Much like freedom of speech, our society has an unwritten rule that anyone can think what they would like in this election. Facts are rigid, but opinions can be changed. That doesn’t mean you need to set out to change everyone’s opinion that differs from yours.
You don’t have to agree, but you do have to be a decent human being.
Just because you disagree doesn’t mean you need to be nasty. The independent journal review showed that we can overcome our differences because everyone matters. When the yelling matches start, remember that each one of us is affected by others and that being rude will get you nowhere.
If the election doesn’t go the way that you want, you have options.
I’ve heard people joking that if they didn’t get their way in the election, they would leave the country. As funny as that is, it isn’t practical and overly dramatic. You can vote in other elections. Just because the presidential election is the most advertised, doesn’t mean it is the only election the US holds. Vote for your senator to juxtapose the presidential candidate you didn’t want to win. If worse comes to worse, unless everything goes to hell in a handbasket, you will have your chance to vote again in four years.
The world is more than just politics.
It may not seem like it now, but in a couple of months the decision will have been made, and people will move on with their lives. So anything harsh you say now can come back to bite you in a friendship later. I urge people with strong opinions to voice their opinions fairly but understand that it is not the end of the world if someone doesn’t see it your way. When you realize you are in a political argument stop, drop and roll, because there is no other way to put out a fire – even a politically charged fire.