Ever since the 2016 election where Donald Trump was elected president, America has since been divided more than ever before. You are either a Democrat or a Republican. A Liberal or a Conservative. There is rarely any side that is in between. We are amid a political civil war. Yet, what I find the most interesting is how different each side fights.

Before address the above comment I would like people to know that I am aware that there are extremists in both political parties. I am referencing the majority not the minority of people whose actions I am sure do not represent what either political party stands for. On that note I would like to point out how drastically different liberals and conservatives act in this ongoing war.

I recently posted my thoughts on this issue in my Facebook feed and felt compelled to write about it here. I was scrolling through Instagram and came across and photo of a friend of mine who attended the Pro-Life march down in Washington. She posted photos of her and her friends and the signs they made along with a kind and compassionate post explaining her beliefs and why she was marching. I keep scrolling and come across a drastically different picture. This was someone who attended one of the woman’s marches. She posted a photo of herself putting up her middle finger in front of Trump towers and was followed by the hashtag F***Trump.

One photo was full of love and determination while the other was full of hate and anger. I thought the Women’s March was supposed to empower women and stand up for their rights. This photo did not show that at all in fact, it showed quite the opposite. To me it showed anger, hate, insecurity, and immaturity. When you are trying to change the world for the better you must represent that “better” you want to see. You do not attack others because they believe differently, you do not vandalize schools, and you do not post inappropriate photos.

The photo of the Pro-Life march was everything it should have been. It was appropriate and used no hateful language as well as it being mature and thoughtful. Most importantly, this post was filled with passion and love. This person was determined to fight for what they believed was right and never used a single act of violence.

Over the months I continue to see protests not of love but of hate and violence. I hear the saying “Love is Love” constantly yet I have not seen it come to practice nearly enough. Hatred will only divide us further. We need to respect each other’s difference of opinions and learn how to work through them. I have seen more violence from those who are against Trump than those who are out there openly supporting him. The fact that there is fear in those who support him, fear from those who don’t is sad. I truly hope that the United States will be able to reach a point where a political party does not define an individual.

I’ll end with this, yes, I support and voted for Donald Trump. I also support, love, kindness, equality, and life. Sound familiar? Because maybe we aren’t so different after all.