I’ve spent a lot of time on Twitter and reading news regarding various recent political events and as you may have noticed, the United States is a very divided country right now. It seems like what we have is the loudest group on both sides of the spectrum yelling and screaming at each other.

As much as I disagree with many of the things our President is doing, I know there will be people on the left that hate his guts no matter what. Likewise, on the right, there are people who won’t even attempt to learn about the other side’s point of view and will defend every single action by Trump no matter how absurd it ends up being.

Then I got to thinking, why is it so hard for people to:

A) Admit when they’re wrong

B) Apologize

Think about it. No one wants to admit they’re wrong. For this reason, people resort to name-calling, or yelling, or shaming someone because of their views. This is a deflection of reality and also a way to ignore the fact that there may be something they don’t know.

This is not just an issue in politics. How many of us have had disagreements with friends or family over anything?

What is one of the first things we are taught as children? If you do something wrong, you’re supposed to say you’re sorry.

The problem is that now you have a bunch of adults that would rather protect their egos than pause to say, “You know what, I may be wrong about this” or “I never thought about it that way.”  Why do we have to be angry at each other if we disagree? Why can’t we learn from each other instead of pointing the finger and name-calling?

Rarely does someone put themselves in the shoes of another. This is something I try to do before I pass judgement. For example, it’s very easy to pass by that homeless man on the street, not giving him a second thought. It’s easy to say, “If they would just work harder they could get a job.” But then I imagine that person as my father or uncle, and my view changes. You may say, well it could be, but it isn’t. But the fact is, it is SOMEONE’S relative. And if it were mine, I wouldn’t want them to be ignored.

A lot of things also boil down to facts. But we see a lot of things spun in different ways, and it ends up being people bending the truth to fit their narrative. I’d like to see more people who want to learn as much as possible. It’s only then that an informed decision can be made.

This is not an anti-Trump post and it definitely is not a pro-Trump post. This is a post about every single issue facing the United States and the world today–Hurricanes, possible conflict with North Korea, immigration, and more. I challenge you to open your minds. Stop talking if just for a moment and learn. Ask questions, and try to see where someone else is coming from. So many these days are on the defense about their views, they are just ready for a fight.

Surprise them with a “I really didn’t think about it that way”. Anger and insults only lead to more anger and resentment. Blanket statements that serve to lump everyone with very different views into one group only further divides us when we should be standing together.

Of course, there’s no rationalizing with some people. But, I do believe for those willing to try, only good can come out of calm, rational discussions.