Thread by @deesbeest

Thread/
Why do I engage Trump supporters in conversation? Simple, I don't have a horse in this race. Does that mean I support him? No.

But I don't automatically hate anyone who voted for him either. Now you may think "this girl isn't right in the head."

"Is she not seeing what is happening?" Yes, I see. I pay attention, I listen, and I hear. But not listening to the other side only makes

The divide we see today bigger. We all agree and disagree on certain things, that's human nature. How can we honestly think to make this

World a better place if we don't hear what others have to say? How can we proclaim to be "on the right side of history" if we don't take

A moment out of our day to just hear what others have to say? Their feelings, as much as you may disagree with them, have a reason for

Existing in the first place. Be it they were raised to believe something, something happened that made them feel that way, whatever it is

For them, their feelings are valid. In fact, as much as we may oppose them, they are as valid to them as our feelings are to us. We all

Feel the way we do for our own particular set of reasons. Does it mean I am right? Not to someone who feels opposite to how I feel. To them

Their feelings are the right ones. And we can't even begin to think to mend the issues facing society today if we do not understand

Where they are coming from. And it doesn't just apply to Trump supporters, it applies to everyone. You cannot understand their side if

You are not willing to hear, not just listen but actually hear, what they have to say. This isn't an issue we can just slap a band aid

On and be done with. Name calling isn't the way to go about it, to go about anything. Attacking someone for how they voted isn't going

To make anyone kinder to each other. In fact, it is going to have the opposite effect. It's only going to make everyone more angry, more

Set in their ways, and more likely to lash out since all we do is attack each other. So just talk to someone, ANYONE, who believes

Differently than you do. Hear what they have to say. Take a moment to be kind. See if you find common ground and expand on that

We have the capacity to do so much good, if we just listen. We have the capacity to change this world to one where we all want to live

One where the good outweighs the bad in astounding numbers. But in order to do that, we need to leave our biases at the door

And take a moment to just hear, and try to understand. Be kind, be good. Hate takes way more energy than kindness and love.