Dear friend,

I just want to start by saying that I love and respect you no matter what. I’m not going to lie and say that it has been easy to do that during this election season because there is a lot that we disagree on; a lot of things that we both feel strongly about have been brought to the forefront. But now that this election season is almost over, I am exhausted and sick of feeling so upset about the political climate. I know we cannot simply forget about what is happening because this is truly a transformative year. However, there is so much hatred and hostility around me that I cannot take it anymore. I believe in an America where we can all respect one another’s political beliefs, and that it does not change who we are as human beings.

This election season has created a toxic environment; families have literally been torn apart based on their political beliefs. Both sides have wronged each other all year, and it only seems to be getting worse. Just this week Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star was defaced! I may not be a Trump supporter, but I could never condone outright vandalism and destruction of property. This is why I am writing this to you today because we need to learn to be kinder, gentler people in the face of immaturity and discord. I will always respect your right to your opinion, even if I have completely opposing views.

That being said, if politics comes up in conversation (which it always does among democratic people) I will agree to disagree with you. I am a fiercely liberal voter, so you are probably not going to change my mind, but that’s okay because I’m probably not going to change your mind, either. So let’s agree right now to change the subject or simply listen to one another. The point of a democracy is to have freedom of expression, so that we can freely express our ideas—no matter how controversial they might be. I love living in a diverse society, and my life would be so boring if I agreed with my friends on everything. So let’s get coffee and discuss our views. I don’t bite; I promise. I think we can all agree on one thing: we cannot wait for this election to be over!

Love,