As I do my daily scroll through the plethora of heated arguments on my Facebook and Twitter, one thought constantly returns to mind-- why can we not be more respectful of the views of others?

Don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly and vehemently support freedom of speech and standing up for what you believe in; I 100% stand behind those who make their views known and defend them so strongly. However, for every respectful and rational comment/post that is made, there are at least four that are disrespectful, offensive and abrasive.

Why?

I'm not talking about political correctness. I'm not talking about not voicing your opinion for the sake of saving an argument.

I'm talking about the general concepts of respect and courtesy that I, and most everyone I know, was raised with (maybe there's a bias here because I'm from the south).

I'm talking about the fact that no matter what your stance is on practically anything, you're going to be called a "raging liberal" or an "ignorant conservative", maybe even a "stupid leftist" or a "moronic republican". This trend of attacking others is one that has been amplified in the past few months. The blatant disregard of the possibility that people may not believe the same things you do seems to offend people, but why?

Why do we all cherish our first amendment rights, but ridicule anyone else for practicing it when it doesn't align with our personal preferences?

As a college student, I have witnessed first hand some of the ridiculous things people do when they act radically about things they believe in, which is especially scary considering that statistically, college students are more empathetic and more open than people who are not in that age range. My heart aches for those who have been attacked for their personal views, but almost aches more for those who can't come to terms with the reality that we are a diverse nation with an astonishing number of diverging opinions. I take pride in living in a country with so much diversity, and I personally enjoy learning about why other people believe what they believe, even if it isn't something I agree with.

Diversity is a part of life. How are we going to succeed in our lives and careers if we can't agree to disagree? There will always be someone who you are a polar opposite of, and chances are, it'll be a classmate, a colleague, or even a family member. Are you going to quit your job to not be around someone because they are pro-guns and you believe in tighter gun regulation? Or will you stop attending family gatherings because your aunt is pro-choice but you are pro-life?

Reality check: that's not how the world works.

We are called to love one another for who we are, and accept our differences to work toward a brighter future. Instead of tearing each other down, we are morally compelled to encourage each other to be our best selves and achieve our goals-- whatever those may be.

There are certain inherent, intrinsic values that bind us.

We are more than our opposing views.

We are more than the divisions that we have built against each other.

As a nation, we are privileged and blessed enough to live in a society where we are allowed to voice our beliefs, opinions, likes, and dislikes; so why is it that we constantly tear each other down for those opinions?

I know that this issue will persist for ages to come, but it shouldn't. Rather than belittling others, tell them that while you do not agree, you respect their opinion. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy debate, but we are all old enough to know when things are crossing lines. We are all old enough to speak with integrity and grace. The more we practice being tolerant of those around us, the more unified we will become.