Within the fight to ultimately win a presidential election, both candidates debate on the same issues but hold their own opinions and solutions to these problems. Though it is recognized that each person obtains their personal beliefs, The Feather staff believes that seeking to bash others’ opinions is simply not the solution to resolving conflict.

As election day approaches, the history classes focus on the details of the presidential and vice presidential debates. While watching these debates The Feather staff does not agree with the “bashing” involved in these debates. Instead of disproving or arguing against someone else’s opinion, candidates should be arguing for their own beliefs.

This pattern of verbal abuse not only lies in politics but also carries on to other social aspects of life. Oftentimes sports can bring this attitude between conflicting sports season teams. Many times basketball and soccer teams bump heads because they occur during the same time.

Because FC is often in need of more players for each sport, the struggle to find athletes surfaces and the tension between teams rises when both are pleading for students to join their sport.

Soccer players begin tearing down the sport of basketball, just because they don’t want people to turn down playing soccer, and basketball players begin judging the soccer players only because they have chosen basketball and believe it to be better than any other sport.

The same feelings can stir within the circumstance of different churches. Commonly, youth groups can create a sense of competition between each other. One student may love their youth group and think that every other youth group besides theirs is boring.

When this happens, the point that every church exists for the same purpose is forgotten and the passion that an individual has for their own church is transferred to focusing on how other churches aren’t like their own.

Focusing on how someone else’s opinion does not match up with your’s does not advance the situation in any case. Rather than smacking down others’ beliefs, you should only be concerned about your own viewpoint.

Yes, others’ perspectives may affect how you think but the overall affair of only seeking to demean others does not benefit anyone and therefore needs to be considered.

The Feather staff encourages students to concentrate on building their own opinions instead of focusing their time on degrading others’. Take time to reflect on how your opinions will influence others if you simply focus your attention on supporting your convictions.

People will respect you more when you yourself are able to respect others. If you want someone to hear your perspective, then be ready to listen to theirs. Bashing is not an option, build your own opinion.

For more editorials, read the Sept. 19 article, EDITORIAL: Altering the foundations of respect (PODCAST).