By Michael Foster-Sanders/campus editor

In today’s society, it seems like tolerance and respect of different views and opinions are going by the wayside, and everyone seems easily offended, especially with social media. 

From sexual preference, race, political views or even a simple movie review, if a person doesn’t agree with said opinion, it’s an open invitation to rain down fire and brimstone. That is flat out wrong.

But why do people spend time and energy bickering when they can just agree to disagree and move on without being disrespectful.

It should never get to the point where someone’s differences should lead to bullying or violence, especially with children, which shows that tolerance and respect aren’t being taught in the home or even practiced by the parents.

To quote the musical artist CeeLo Green, “Tolerance, compromise, understanding, acceptance, patience — I want those all to be very sharp tools in my shed.”

The easiest way for people to develop tolerance and respect for others’ opinions is to check their ego. Unless what that person is doing is directly affecting their livelihood or harming others, then it shouldn’t matter. 

Try putting yourself in another person’s shoes to see what they’re going through so you can develop compassion and empathy because we’re all fighting different battles within ourselves. Don’t be so quick to lash out because of your lack of understanding with a situation.

You have two ears and one mouth for a reason: to talk less and listen more. A person would be amazed what they missed with being defensive and waiting to be right without trying to gain understanding about an situation.

Last but not least, remember you are one of the estimated 7.5 billion people in the world. We all have different upbringings, life journeys, taste and dislikes, and that’s what makes the earth a wonderful place to be. 

So go out and experience new things so you can be a well-versed person and help bring the ignorance level down a notch.