Tuesday, November 20, 2012
How Politics Can Ruin Friendships
Everyone holds political opinions. Some of us are more vocal about them. Others keep quiet publicly, because politics is always divisive. Not everyone will share your opinion, be it on abortion, religious freedoms, womens' rights, or national self-determination. Even your closest friends may not share your opinions. Silence can save a friendship, open discussion may rip it apart. Was it in the latter case then real friendship? Can one be friends if one's fundamental principles are not in line? In theory, why not? In practice, I'm not sure. These days, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalating, I am reminded of a friendship that broke because of politics. Because I was unable to tolerate intolerance. Because I was so fundamentally shocked by the one-sidedness in this conflict, the view of righteousness. There are always two sides, there are always two stories. There may be evil, but there is also a cause to evil deeds, a history behind it. There are innocent children born into this history. There is always a chance to start afresh. To move ahead. To compromise, and to learn tolerance. To believe in a future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I've thought about this a lot and lately, with the recent US election behind us, I've come to the point where I've realized that though I'd like to be more open-minded and tolerant, and able to understand other perspectives intellectually, I can't. Maybe it has to do with being a bit older, or having less time for friends, but if I find that I FUNDAMENTALLY disagree with someone, that we have very, very different values and viewpoints, it's hard to still feel closeness. Bird of a feather flock together, it's sad (is it?) but true. I mean, it's not black and white, but there are some issues on which I simply find myself losing respect for someone who believes in a viewpoint drastically different than my own.
ReplyDelete