BY: Chelsea Bassett
Currently, this nation seems to be more divided than it has ever been. Specifically, the 2016 Presidential election has left this country in a state of constant disagreement between extremists on both sides of the political spectrum.
Unfortunately, with the recent midterms, the country hasn’t had much time to recover from the political mess that both the radical “lefties and righties” have left for us to clean up.
In a country that has a people so hell-bent on tearing each other a part, it’s hard to find a place to evade the political backlash we see and hear on the news and social media; that’s one thing that me and now one of my best friends, Tommi Jo, could agree on.
Tommi Jo is also a student at AUM, and like me, she is also a Communications major here. Throughout our time here, we were in a lot of the same classes and would casually talk before, after or between classes.
At first, it did not seem that we had a lot in common. In fact, we were almost complete opposites. Through getting to know Tommi Jo, I realized that she was in fact a feminist that leaned toward a more liberal side on the political scale. I, however, lean more on the conservative side.
As you could imagine, there were some things that we did not see eye to eye on. But it was through these differences that I became more aware and confident of my own believes and values. Tommi Jo opened a whole new perspective to me. For the first time in my life I was truly able to see the other side and understand why she and others like her feel so strongly about their own believes. I even began to question the things that I have stubbornly believed my entire life.
In my questioning and exploration of the leftist point of view, I realized why I believed in what I do. As a result, I felt and believed more strongly about my conservative views. After all, do you really believe in something if you have never questioned it?
Even though I still have strong conservative views, Tommi Jo has remained one of my closest friends. She makes me laugh and celebrates with me when something good happens, but she also is there through the tough times as well. Even though we do not agree with everything, we still care for each other and wish nothing but the best of the other.
Moral of the story is this: Getting along with someone and being their friend doesn’t necessarily mean that you agree with everything they say and do. You can in fact get along with those that you do not politically agree with, and that’s okay.
My friendship with Tommi Jo has taught me more about myself, what I believe in and the people around me. I’ve learned to be more open-minded and a better listener and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.