To begin, let’s take a few steps back and recall that “Golden Rule” we all learned when we were young. You know, that statement we all thought was super cheesy: “Treat others as you would want them to treat you?”

Have you ever just heard an opinion that was so polar opposite from yours that it almost makes you sick? Like, you really have to refrain from looking at them and saying “No, you’re completely wrong.” I’m sure we are all guilty of thinking such things, but here’s the fun part: it is just an opinion, not a fact. Just like your opinions are not necessarily true simply because they are yours, someone else’s opinions are not necessary false, due to the fact that they are not yours. All too often we forget that factual statements and opinions are not the same thing. While the line to differentiate between the two may be thin, it is still a present line. We tend to proclaim our opinions too loudly, which just calls more attention to ourselves than to our opinions.

With all the big events that have happened recently we really need to keep an open mind to each and every opinion people have.

From things like elections coming up next year to the recent ISIS attacks on Paris, Syria, and other countries, we have to remember that not everyone will be open to the same presidential candidate or refugees coming to our country. While you may be rooting for Hillary Clinton to be our next president, another person may have their hopes set on Bernie Sanders. Are either of you wrong for who you want in office? No, not at all. What is wrong is to “judge” or argue over such topics. If you can come up with a valid reason as to why you want that person in office, and you have some idea of what you’re talking about, there is no reason you should not be able to state your opinion freely; same goes for someone wanting the opposite of you.

Moving to the hottest, and most recent topic, refugees coming into the United States. Geez, the posts and arguments go on for days. I have read countless posts filled with 50 comments or more, just bashing one another’s opinions on why they’re for it or against it. My question is, what good does this arguing really do? Does it stop them from coming here, or does each comment allow more refugees to enter? Neither is accurate. In the end, you are simply tearing down another person’s opinion because it differs from yours.

You see petty arguments over big topics like the two previously mentioned, all the way down to small things like who thinks what movie is best. In each opinion there is a bit of reasoning, but never is there a need to become hostile with another human being because you disagree with their outlook on things. So the next time you see a post, hear a statement, or read a comment that you disagree with, remember that everyone, including you, is entitled to state their opinion and to stand by it wholeheartedly. There is a very large difference in calmly discussing your opinion with someone whose opinion differs from yours, and bluntly throwing things in their face to “prove them wrong.”

This is all coming from a very opinionated girl that is all too often guilty of thinking, or even saying, someone is “wrong” for having an opinion that varies from mine. Is it right to do that? Of course not.

It’s almost like human nature for us to think that our opinions are so correct just because we have one or two logical things behind it. However, while we may have something factual to go along with our assessments, someone else can easily have a fact to go with theirs as well.

With all that being said, here’s a tip from an eighteen year old college freshman that sees too many wonderful human beings bashing one another: state your opinion freely, then respect others opinions as you would want them to respect yours. Be loyal to your principles, but never demand that anyone else share them. As previously stated, remember that “Golden Rule.”