My parents always told me to never mix politics with friendships. And after seeing media sites like Facebook, and people in the general public, I'm starting to see why. You know things are bad on social media when a complete repeat of what happened on election day happens almost twice as intensely on inauguration day. You all know what I mean when I say this--I mean, in all honestly, you've all probably seen your fair share of this stuff too in these past few days. It's an absolute madhouse! Once more, friends are at each other's throats, families are freaking out on other family members that don't share their views, and the worst part about it is that it doesn't seem like any one of them is able, or willing, to see the bigger problem here.

All of these disputes will only make us more divided than we already are. In these past few days, I've seen people ending friendships, blocking others on social media, etc., and I have to ask, what's that really going to do?

I mean, granted, if the person you've cut off is a total zealot for one of the two sides, posting and talking about all sorts of political stuff in the name of the one particular party you don't favor, I totally understand being upset over that, but to go so far as to block them, or even unfriend them for it? Or if all they ever say now is demeaning words in regards to your party on top of that, insulting its entirety, including those within it, by all means, ignore them. But if these people are really your friends, you can't let what they say get to you like this, otherwise, can you really say that they were your friends in the first place?

Look, I'm not trying to say that the way you see your politics are wrong, or anything. Whatever your party is, there won't be any judgement from me--I couldn't care less. But the second you start using it to justify the demeaning of your own friends, that's when there's an issue.

We all have opinions and a right to express them, that's part of what makes America such a great place to inhabit...at least, for now. But the fact that we're allowing these various opinions to affect us to such a degree, rather than to simply ignore them, makes things far more difficult than they need to be, and pulls us even further apart as a people than ever before. Many of us have become so convinced that our way is the only way, that anything outside of that is immediately preposterous and needs to be disposed of, or mocked, along with the ones that mentioned them.

So my parting message to all of you that actually still read these articles; for these next few days, or weeks, however long it takes, rather than belittle, or discard someone for how differently they think from you, at least make an attempt to understand where they're coming from first. Be willing to give someone, or receive, a different kind of perspective. At least that way, even if you still wind up disagreeing with them, you'll have some kind of understanding. It'll be tough for some, though, especially those that are incredibly stuck in their ways, and will take a lot of patience, but if this person means anything to you, I'd hope that you'd put in at least some morsel of effort to figure out what they're thinking BEFORE going straight for the kill. And who knows? Maybe it's YOU that could use the change in perspective. But you'll never know if you're never bothered enough to give it a try.