Love Thy Enemy
An antidote to our current political climate
We live in a society where insults about someone who disagrees with us politically is normal. Do you have a different opinion than me? Well, you’re just a downright disgusting idiot. It’s ridiculous to think about; however, it’s the sad reality in our country. People have allowed pure hatred to enter their hearts through political divisiveness. The past eight years especially have brought out the worst in people. There is a thick cloud of contempt that settles itself in the space between the left and right, creating disgust amongst fellow Americans.
When we paint the other side to be a villain who is acting from a place of hate, we are the ones who are creating the hate. One can not label anyone who disagrees with their point of view as stupid or evil. This is what creates an atmosphere of contempt for one another. We are so quick to throw hot insults to attack people and their character based solley on their opposing views on public policy, it has to stop. We must be able to stand in our convictions enough to attack ideas, yet stand in love enough to not attack people. It’s a disgusting thing when we see people being verbally and physically assaulted simply because they are wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat or because they have a “White Dudes For Kamala” button on their backpack. Is this to happen every time there is a presidential election? Are we to fight each other to the death through every four-year presidential administration? Seriously, how does this behavior end well? where does it get us besides a living hell?
It’s hard to blame anyone, though, seeing as our politicians themselves are not setting the best example. If we see it happening at the top, why not? Now, I’m not saying that our politicians need to be saints. I believe that having a bully personality such as President Donald J. Trump has its advantages; however, we must be careful in our propagation of such behavior. When we fall into the trap of flinging cheap quips and insults to the other side, it manifests into something much larger. An example of how a little remark can go a long way is how President Biden and the entire Democratic establishment picked up a bad habit of calling Mr. Trump an “Extisental threat to democracy” and comparing him to Adolf Hitler. Both of those are seriously heavy labels to throw around that reap dangerous consequences. Such consequences came to pass when President Trump almost lost his life on stage at a rally in Butler PA. When a narrative such as the one mentioned is created and it trickles its way into the minds of the extreme and the hateful, bad things happen.
Young people, in my opinion, harbor a majority of the hatred that continues to plague this country. Remember, The would-be Trump assassin was just 20- years old. We saw just how passionate the young were as protests erupted over campuses across the country, resulting in antisemitic rhetoric and attacks. Just last week, we saw a majority of young, misinformed citizens burning the American flag as they protested in support of Palestine. It’s no secret that the young are already passionate and persuadable, and when you add a hostile political nature to the mix, as I said before, bad things happen. Recently, a report came out of an 80-year-old man being run over by a 22-year-old man, due to his decision to put up a yard sign, showing his support for Mr. Trump in the 2024 election. Is this America? is this who we are? We shoot former presidents who have been demonized by the media, we attack our neighbors for their opinions on how they’d like to see this country run. How disgusting. We have to do better. I’m sure there are many people out there who think the same, yet they behave differently.
The question for a lot of people is, how do we fix this? In his 2019 book Love Your Enemies, author and academic Arthur C. Brooks provides a simple yet complex fix. Love. Brooks explains to us how to use our God-given gift of Love to lead to greener pastures on the political front. When I first read Love Your Enemies, I walked away with a true gem of knowledge. Brooks highlights how we must aim for understanding and perspective of those who disagree with us. If we keep spoon-feeding ourselves only with the media we want to see that gives us only the good on our side, and only the bad on the other side, we simply won’t get anywhere. If you’re a firm conservative who is glued to FOX News all day, perhaps try adding in some left-leaning voices that you like every now and then. For a progressive liberal who only keeps himself in a bubble of friends alike, branch out and make friends with someone who disagrees with you. Brooks highlights how our differences make us strong. Disagreement should be encouraged when done respectfully. This doesn’t mean you can’t speak with conviction and a fiery passion, it simply means to respect and truly love the person with which you disagree. When we welcome opposing discourse amongst one another in a respectful way, we illuminate a way ahead. We open ourselves to understand each other and understand perspectives. We see that we are all operating from a place of goodness. How we see things may be different but that doesn’t make one or the other evil.
I find myself having to put Brooks’ words in action more as I navigate my own personal relationships during this election season. With two of my close buddies being very liberal and hating Trump and all he stands for, I find myself holding space for them to express their opinions so that I see why they think the way they do. I love them dearly, and they love me. We see things very differently, but I know they aren’t stupid or evil. I hold the same amount of Love for any fellow American whether they agree or disagree with me, and you should too. It will save you a lot of stress and a lot of relationships, I can assure you.
I came across this Great Video on YouTube of a young TikToker who went to a Trump Rally as a Liberal intending to find common ground and make friends. Give it a watch and you’ll see how important it is to just start the conversations that are being avoided and causing a build-up of hostility.
I encourage all, especially the young, to get off their high horse, learn to love, and dump the hatred elsewhere. America will see its destruction at the hands of its citizens if we continue on the volatile road of excessive political polarization.
More by Trey J. Rhodie:
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