We all have them. Opinions can range and vary based upon a plethora of categories, including, but not limited to: politics, sports, movies and television, music, and even food. We are all allowed to form and believe in our own opinions for our own reasons, but when people have differing opinions, it’s okay to disagree. I think sometimes that can get lost in the shuffle of everyday life.

Let’s use the most recent Presidential election as an example. I’m not talking about who won and which person I wanted to win, but the overall election in general. For the record, I will never discuss politics publicly. I believe it is something personal, at least from my perspective, and something that I don’t want to get in the way of my friendships. Do you know why that is? Even if I don’t agree with someone else’s opinion about who should be President, I won’t let that be the determining factor for my acquaintance with someone else. There is more to life than being upset over something that we don’t really have much direct control over.

Here’s another category that people seem to have some strong opinions on: movies and television. Again, I don’t know if I can state this enough; if you disagree with my opinion on a movie, that’s fine. I won’t be upset with you if you found a movie to be enjoyable and I couldn’t stand it. I would hope that would be reciprocated as well. Look at Ghostbusters, which opened in theaters this summer. That might be the most divisive movie to ever hit Hollywood for the dumbest of reasons. Was it a great movie? No. Was it horrible? No. Did people overreact for reasons that they shouldn’t have? Absolutely. It wasn’t a movie that I was interested in, but if people liked it, I wasn’t about to shun them and tell them how horrible their opinion was. Unfortunately, I still witness this scenario unfolding.

I think it all comes down to being a good person and making good choices as a human being (and common sense, really). If you want to become a credible, respectable person, then next time you disagree with someone, use good judgement. It’s just fine to tell them that you disagree and think they are wrong, but do it in a respectful way that isn’t demeaning to that person. Try to think of why that person feels that way about that particular topic. Who knows, when you find out the reasons that person believes what they do, maybe you’ll realize they aren’t so crazy after all. In addition, if you take this approach, you’ll more than likely make yourself look better than you would the other way around. Do the right thing. Be a nice person. The world will become a better place because of it. In fact, the world will be one step closer to peace.