Maya Angelou said it best when she said, “Hate has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”
This week while scrolling through social media posts, it was shocking to see how people were treating one another. The amount of malice spewing from the mask of people’s keyboards was absolutely insane. It was shocking to see how “friends” were speaking toward each other.
I’m not one to post about my political beliefs. I personally like to keep mine off of social media. For those of you that do, I commend you! I commend you for feeling strongly enough about something and being brave enough to put your feelings and beliefs out there for the world to judge. However, I don’t commend how most of social media has acted during this past week.
A new presidential transition can be hard. I’m not saying that I agree or don’t agree with any or everything that has been done this week. But what I am saying is I don’t agree with the hate, malice and outright nastiness that has been strewn across social media. I’ve seen people attacking others. I’ve seen name-calling and the constant slinging of insults. Showing hate to someone who disagrees with your beliefs will never convince them to believe as you do.
It is possible to discuss your various views instead of slinging insults at someone because they think differently. One of the most amazing parts of being an American is the fact that we are entitled to our opinions and we can express those freely.
Do you want to convince someone else to believe as you do? Then be kind. Listen to them. Discuss with them. But don’t argue. Don’t be hateful and don’t insult each other. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to disagree and be kind through respectful discussion. In the end, you’ll keep your friendship in tact and maybe even understand each other’s realm of thinking a little bit more.
So please, be kind. Let’s change the world with our kindness and respect — not hate.
Originally published at medium.com