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It’s time to care about those you say you do

HUNTER O. BROWN

Mansfield

You should care for your friends and family enough to not have their beliefs ruin your relationship.

It’s that time of the year when everyone gets a nice long break for the holidays, right?

College kids come home for winter. Parents get a nice vacation from work, and young students get their nice break from learning algebra.

It’s a time for enjoying the company of others and basking in the moment of sharing and caring.

However, with growing tensions surrounding beliefs and politics, it’s become more frictious.

On Nov. 22, the day of Thanksgiving, in Cary, N.C., an argument about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem resulted in a 21-year-old man being shot and hospitalized by his own father.

I will concede this is a divisive topic. However, would you fight a family member, let alone shoot someone over such a topic? I believe in the good nature of others, so I believe not many of us would be so extreme. Then again, there’s been a rise in, let us say “complications” over politics. I understand to an extent some situations are intolerable or difficult, but I’d enjoy if those reading this article take time to be more accepting of those they disagree with. You don’t have to accept others’ beliefs per se, but accept them despite their beliefs. And if you don’t understand them, take time to at least try.

I’ve witnessed friends lose relationships with siblings and parents over simple disagreements. Ultimately, they valued their beliefs over whom they say they loved. I guess what I’m saying is this: Are you sure you want to burn that bridge over something so arbitrary?

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