A friend wanted to catch up one of these days as he is in town. He has been based abroad for quite a while. As we connected over Messenger and finalized our plans for that catch up, he requested that there would be no talk of politics. He declared that we hold different views and would rather not talk about that.

I respected that and respected him more for that. I have been blissfully unaware of his views. Either he is not as active in social media or somehow, I have not seen any of his politics-related posts.

"We remain friends, right?" I immediately replied in the affirmative.

But that exchange has got me thinking about my friendships, especially with those who hold different, even opposing views from mine.

It's just amazing how polarizing recent turn of events in politics have become. Suddenly, you realize that your friends, with whom you seem to share so many things in common, could be so different in looking at others. And some of them are even very vocal about their views.

Conceptually, friendships should be able to withstand such differences, right? Political, even religious views are just some aspects of what makes a person. There are many other aspects that can bind. Yet why do I find it hard to swallow a difference of opinion from a dear friend?


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My fault

My confession. I didn't vote during the last election. I held off registering till the last day. Then that last day was the day I was scheduled to leave for South America. I tried but failed during that last day, due to the volume of people.

Perhaps that also explains why I wasn't as impassioned about the candidates, either for or against. Though I knew I was not going to vote for Du30. That was sure.

Fast forward to the violence that claimed so many lives in Marawi and at Resorts World. And the ongoing, though at the sidelines for now, murders related to the drug war. Yes, I call them murders. Thousands remain unsolved murders.

Violence begets violence. The vicious cycle has started. I bleed for those who have died and those who were left behind without fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, siblings.

I blame myself for not voting, for not expressing myself through that right of suffrage.


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