I like this candidate. I do not like that candidate. This upcoming election has us more divided than ever, and I think it helps to talk to each other about why we should not toss away friendships or relationships over politics.

We all remember in 2016 when the race between Clinton and Trump was close,

and everyone seemed to like one over the other, but for various reasons.

People liked Trump because he spoke differently than a politician, whereas Clinton was Washington as usual, but could be the first female president. People argued hard over who was more qualified and who was more corrupt.

This year, I have noticed that some people will “delete” you off social media due to not adhering to a certain political view.

Just because you like Trump should not mean that you should cast away relationships, merely because your friends support Biden, you can even support a third-party candidate, that does not mean you need to stop talking to friends.

When Donald Trump won back in 2016, I remember thinking to myself,

“I can’t believe this is the guy, the guy to lead the country.”

I had friends’ messages and comment on my post, telling me to

“leave the country if you don’t like it.”

I could not believe my own friends had told me that. We all have differences, sure, but to stop talking and completely ignore close friends merely due to political views is astonishing. Time had passed before one of my friends reached out to me.

They explained that they were sorry, that felt bad for not speaking to me about political views. We hugged it out, took a shot, and laughed as if no time had passed. We still disagree on political views, but now we have friendly discussions about the issues, and no one gets mad at the other for thinking differently.

In the end, it should not matter who you vote for; everyone has a view and opinion. The best way to go about this very turbulent political climate is to speak to each other. Speak about the issues that matter to you both, speak about the matters you both may not understand, and see if you both can learn from each other.

Talk to those who do not share your views. Ask them questions and see what you have in common with them; you may be surprised to find out that you have more in common than you think!

Do not lose friends over political matters; just because you may have different views does not mean you need to cut people out of your life. Conversations become livelier when everyone has a different opinion.