There is no need for personal and political attacks.

Introduction

Whether we want to admit it or not, everybody has an opinion. It is unfortunate though that some people have taken their opinions too far by attacking people personally and politically. The thing is everybody is not going to agree with you, and we should learn to respect the opinions of others and do so respectfully. Why do we have to resort to personal attacks and the assassination of people’s character? Why does everything have to be political?

Express your opinions respectfully.

I see nothing wrong with people expressing their opinions. In fact, I think opinions should be encouraged. It is very beneficial to hear the perspectives of others because sometimes you may not even consider the points raised by others. Some people have a lot of knowledge and experience in some areas and their opinions can be very valuable.

While I do encourage people to express their opinions, I challenge you though to be very careful about what you express your opinions about and how you express your opinions. Sometimes, there is so much misinformation and rumours so try to get the facts before you express your opinions otherwise when the truth comes out, you will lose your credibility.

Focus on the issues and not the individuals.

For too long now, rather than expressing your opinions about the issues, you attack individuals’ characters and sometimes you fabricate stories about them. When you do this, you not only impact that individual but their family and friends are also hurt by the attacks. Consequently, you have created anger, hatred, and animosity in an already divided society. I challenge you today to keep your opinions on the issues. We do not need to attack and assassinate the characters of people. I find these attacks distasteful. What is even more concerning, is that many people are forwarding some of these nasty attacks messages to others to see. In so doing, the focus now is about the individuals and not the issues.

Another thing we tend to do is to make everything political. First, I admire those individuals who express their opinions publicly on political issues no matter who the Government of the day is. They may be supporters of the party that is in power, but they express their opinions objectively and likewise there are some who are not supporters of the party and are known for expressing their opinions objectively.  However, these types of individuals are few in numbers.

Too many of us only express negative opinions about the Government because the Government in power is not their party. Ironically, they would be quiet or express positive opinions on the same issues if their party was in power.

Conclusion It is unfortunate that some of us are not mature enough to accept and appreciate the opinions of others. Some people, especially leaders, must make some tough decisions and when these decisions are made, we attack these individuals politically and personally. These types of attacks will not eliminate the issues. A lot more can be accomplished if we express our opinions on the issues.