OPINION: Don’t let politics define relationships

Graphic via: TNP Staff

A few weeks ago, I came home from class one afternoon to find that my Ohio absentee ballot I had requested had arrived in the mail. I excitedly removed the ballot from the envelope once I was up in my room and began to quickly fill it out. Within a few minutes, I had filled every part of the ballot out except for one contest. 

Most people fill out a ballot from top to bottom, but I intentionally marked my choice for president last. This wasn’t because I was initially unsure of who I would vote for; the candidate I voted for was the candidate I had been planning to support for months. While I have voted in four previous elections, this was my first time voting in a presidential election, and this isn’t just any old election. If the presidential election turns out the way I hope it does, my vote will have been a contributing factor to a special moment in American history that is long overdue. 

The significance of what I was doing wasn’t lost on me as I finally picked up my pen and filled in the oval next to the name on the ticket that I believe is best fit to lead the greatest nation on Earth. 

While there are technically more than two candidates running, the fact remains that either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump will be leading our country come January 2025.

I won’t lie: if the presidential candidate I voted for doesn’t win, I will be very upset and I know tens of millions of other Americans will be as well. On the other side, however, there will be tens of millions of Americans who will be very happy if the candidate I voted for loses, and the one they voted for wins. 

I have close family, friends and neighbors who are supporting the candidate I am supporting. But I also have close family, friends and neighbors who are supporting the other candidate. 

Over the better part of the last decade, Americans’ ability to maintain healthy relationships with people who vote differently than them has rapidly deteriorated. Especially in Gen Z, there are a lot of people who see politics as a dealbreaker in any kind of relationship. 

Politics is important and should be taken seriously. I encourage anyone reading this to stay up to date with the news, educate themselves about the important issues, and most importantly, vote. But at the end of the day, politics are just politics. This might sound cheesy, but there is truly more to life than arguing with your grandparents about immigration or going at it with a good friend over Middle Eastern wars. 

I’m passionate about my political beliefs, sometimes maybe a bit too passionate. I have had verbal political disagreements with friends and family on numerous occasions, and some of those conversations have gotten rather tense. 

But none of those conversations have ended with a destroyed relationship. For families, this is simple. Blood is blood. I love the people in my family who vote differently than me just as much as I love the people voting the same way I do. I don’t understand why this is such a difficult concept for so many people to grasp. 

Friendships seem to be a bit more susceptible to ending as a result of partisan bickering, but I wish this weren’t the case. I have not had an easy time in my life making friends, and I’ve had an even harder time keeping them. Maybe that’s why I appreciate the friendships I have so much and don’t want to see them get wrecked over politics. But the number of friendships someone has shouldn’t impact our basic responsibility to be decent humans. In my opinion, being a decent human means respecting the right of people close to us to have different viewpoints, no matter how strong the disagreement is. 

On the morning of Nov. 6, Americans will likely wake up to the news that a new president has been elected. Most of us will be emotional, many out of happiness, many out of sadness. Those who supported the winner might feel like gloating while those who supported the loser might want to lash out and go after those they deem responsible for the winner’s victory. I implore anyone reading this to do none of those things. Instead, be there for your fellow Americans who feel wronged and remind them that the ultimate responsibility to help America continue to realize her potential is up to all of us. 

I realize people on both sides are scared about the outcome of this election, and part of me can understand why. Our country and our world are at a critical inflection point where the path to peace and prosperity for all, if it is possible, remains uncertain. But please realize that the world won’t end if Harris wins and the world won’t end if Trump wins.

It has become more common for people on both sides to dispute that last notion and insist that there are some political issues that are more than politics and come down to basic decency. I know a lot of people won’t agree with this, but it is possible to not respect the way someone feels about a certain political issue while still respecting them overall as a good person. 

I’ll admit myself that I often find it frustrating to afford basic respect to people who feel a certain way on certain issues. But somehow I manage to do it. I don’t think my friends who are anti-abortion or anti-gun control are bad people even though I couldn’t disagree more with their positions. After all, we have more in common than we do different. 

Life is far too short to let small things you’ll one day see as inconsequential cause a relationship you care about to fall apart. Years from now when I am old and reflecting on the people who mattered to me, I know I’ll be glad that I haven’t let politics impact the ways I care about those people.